Shinobi - I am not my Father
by LaLIRK
Summary: He is Kimimaro. The last surviving member of the Kaguya Clan. Born to a destiny of servitude, fate intervened with the death of his Father. Years later, Kimimaro has graduated from the Suna Ninja Academy, and is on his way to participate in the Chuunin Exams. This is where his story begins... AU
1. INTRODUCTION

**INTRODUCTION**

His name is Kimimaro Kaguya. He is twelve years old and the lone survivor of the Kaguya Clan.

Born to a specially chosen female Shinobi from Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the leaves; Kimimaro was a mirror image of his Father, not only inheriting his looks but also his talent as a Shinobi, and thus was given an identical name in order to sustain his Father's legacy as the chosen one.

Following his Father's anticipated death seven years later, his Mother immediately began to fear for their lives.

As a rare possessor of the Kaguya clan's Kekkei Genkai, Kimimaro had been trained to be nothing more than a weapon, to further Lord Orochimaru's agenda, and to one day become a worthy vessel for his aging body. He was nothing less than a monster. And his Mother, the only person who truly loved and cared for him, wanted a better life for Kimimaro.

It was after midnight when they escaped captivity, a crescent moon, the darkest of nights, both Kimimaro and his Mother successfully escaped the rule of Lord Orochimaru.

Concerned that her return would not be welcomed, the pair defected to Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand instead of returning to his Mother's familial homeland of Konohagakure. They were accepted as refugees and settled within the safe boundaries of the village.

Just a few months later, Kimimaro's mother tragically passed away and the difficulties he had already experienced adapting to regular life in the village, and as shinobi in training, only expanded and enlarged. Luckily, with the assistance of the Lord Kazekage Gaara, who did not want any child to be left behind, Kimimaro was able to continue to study at the Suna Ninja Academy and learn how to become a normally functioning member of the Village.

Sort of.

Although the routine and schedule of school was good for him Kimimaro was still labelled as an outcast, he was misunderstood - both feared and revered for his exceptional abilities. He was beyond the skill level and maturity of others his age and graduated as a Genin a year earlier than his peers at the age of eleven.

He was allocated to an existing, senior, squad who required a replacement team member. They were Squad Three. Akiko, Yumi and Kimimaro. Under the leadership of Hiroka-Sensei their squad completed many missions, including an A, and several B and C ranked assignments to become one of the most prosperous squads of Sunagakure at the time.

Less than a year later, Hiroka-Sensei nominated their squad for entry into the Chuunin exams.

This is where the story begins.


	2. The Road to Konohagakure

**Chapter I - The Road to Konohagakure**

We had been travelling for two days.

It was close to sunset; the unfamiliar forested landscape grew darker and the once unmistakable path that our squad had been following was becoming less visible to the unacquainted eye. I had never traveled this far East, nor had either of my squad mates, Yumi and Akiko, so we were relying solely on our Sensei to guide us. And we were confident in his abilities, not once did he lead us astray. We trusted Hiroka with our lives, and to get us safely across the border into The Land of Fire.

I knew as soon as we had crossed the border a half day earlier, the landscape had changed dramatically. We must have been just a day's walk away from Konohagakure now. Our squad was becoming more anxious, the air amongst us Genin crackled with excited energy and gained in strength the more hours we walked. The closer we got…

"Little Brother, keep up," Yumi barked as we reached a point in the worn dirt path that was partially blocked by a small thicket of bushes.

Yumi was not actually my biological sister but she had adopted that term for me almost immediately after I had joined their existing squad - just under two years had passed since then. I suspected she liked to play the part of the older overprotective sister too. I often caught her glancing back at me as we walked. Nonchalantly of course. She knew I could keep up with her and Akiko, and Hiroka-Sensei, but she still liked to keep me in her sights. Especially since I always walked alone, taking up the rear position of the squad. Every time.

I liked to quietly listen to my comrades on-going chatter and seemingly trivial conversation with baffled curiosity. I couldn't even begin to understand how anyone had so much to say. Though, I would admit, it was interesting.

Invariably, I remained silent, never asking any questions or joining in on their chats unless prompted. I preferred it that way. It gave me plenty of time "in my own head", as Yumi liked to call it, to think about our upcoming task. The Chuunin Exams.

'Come on, Kimimaro." Yumi ordered, almost exasperated whilst holding some branches aside so they would not scratch me as I passed through. "Get out of your own head." Admittedly, I had fallen a little behind and quickly picked up my pace.

Beyond the bushes it seemed there was nothing much more than forest for miles… Like it had been already for miles… How dismal.

Akiko groaned beside me, "More fucking trees. I never thought I would say this but I miss the desert already," He swung his backpack from his shoulders and dropped it to the ground so he could stretch out his tired muscles.

"Hey! Language." Hiroka-Sensei scolded, shooting a warning glare in his direction.

Yumi snickered under her breath. I didn't find any of it very amusing.

Squatting down, Hiroka-Sensei blew out a hard breath, carefully surveying our surroundings. Several yards ahead the trees were thinned out enough to give way to a small expanse of open grassland. And if I listened carefully, I could hear the bubbling current of a stream also nearby.

"There is water here. Close." I reported.

"Yes," Hiroka-Sensei replied, "We'll stop here. This is a good place to rest for the night,"

"Finally. My feet are fucking killing me." Akiko complained, and his cursing was immediately rewarded with a hard smack against the back of his head from Hiroka-Sensei.

"Owwww!"

"Idiot." Yumi said, stepping over Akiko who was now writhing on the ground, hands clutched to his head. Hiroka-Sensei grinned, two-kinds of proud of himself, and laid a gentle hand on my shoulder, guiding me towards our awaiting campsite.

I was looking forward to a break too, it had been many hours before our last rest. I picked the perfect spot to sleep that night, against the trunk of one of the larger trees and placed my backpack at the roots.

"Kimimaro?"

I shifted my gaze from my pack and over to Hiroka-Sensei who was getting a fire started with Yumi.

"Yes, Hiroka-Sensei?"

"Can you check out the water situation? All our canteens must be running low by now."

"Of course," I nodded my head and turned towards the direction the sound of water was coming from, passing an agitated Akiko on the way.

"Wait up, kid. I'm coming with." He mumbled, still sour with Hiroka-Sensei after the blow. He tossed his bag aside and idled up to me, eager for us to get away from the other two for awhile.

It was a short walk to the stream. It flowed right between two tiny cracks in the ground, but it was fresh. Drinkable. Instead of returning to the campsite to fetch our canteens for filling, however, Akiko sat down and began taking off his shoes. My head canted to the side as I watched him dip his feet into the slow current.

"Oh yeah," He breathed in apparent relief then leaned back, releasing a sigh of pleasure as he basked in the stillness of the moment. "Aren't your feet sore, Kimimaro?" He asked, looking up at me.

I shrugged my shoulders and lowered myself down to sit next to him. "They are. A little."

Akiko snorted and tucked his hands behind his head. He was always so laid back, and he made it look so easy. It wasn't that straightforward for me, I didn't think I ever felt fully relaxed. Even when I was sleeping I was a restless soul.

"You don't always have to be okay you know. You're allowed to have sore feet, you're allowed to be tired, to let your guard down, to feel a little vulnerable every now and then."

I pulled my knees up towards my chest, and wrapped my arms around them, resting my cheek against one kneecap as I watched Akiko just… chill out. He had these large brown, playful eyes, and though he was older than me by two years he lacked the same level of maturity that I did. He was a real kid at heart. I liked that about him. But we were very different, and I wasn't raised to be relaxed or to let my guard down. I had spent the first seven years of my life training to be nothing more than a weapon. It wasn't easy to undo that sort of discipline.

"You really don't know me very well, do you Akiko?" I remarked, a subtle touch of a smile kicking at the edge of my lips.

"Wrong. I know you much too well." He teased, chuckling softly and then he abruptly sat back up to meet me at eye level, "Can I ask you something?"

"Hmmm," I pondered. Akiko's ability for serious questions was limited, "As long as it does not involve milk or the amount of calcium I need to consume, then yes."

"Ha!" He laughed out loud, "No. Serious this time." He promised, crossing his fingers.

"What is your question?" I asked.

"Are you okay? Really?"

I lifted my head, brow furrowing. "Yes, I am okay."

I understood why he was asking the question, without him being flat out blunt about it. Konohagakure, The Village Hidden in the Leaves, was where my late-Mother originally hailed from, it was her hometown.

"But what does "okay" mean exactly to you?" Akiko responded with.

"It means I am perfectly content with my current situation but also have this weird self-esteem issue where I constantly hate myself, however, I still think I am better than everyone else."

Akiko blinked. My honesty tended to shock people. I knew no other way.

"Does that answer your question appropriately?" I asked.

"Kind of?" He replied, though it sounded more like a question that an answer, "Do you actually like me?"

"I have two friends. You are one of them."

"Oh…" Akiko scratched his head, "Okay then."


	3. Arrived

**Chapter II - Arrived**

In the glow of the late afternoon sunlight the main gates to Konohagakure shone a bright orange, welcoming our squad warmly to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. After three days of travel, those gates sure were a sight for sore, and tired, eyes.

We had made it.

With a new spring to our step, a second wind even, our squad hurried along the path, eager to finally arrive at our destination. Excited, yet anxious at the same time. It was all so different and new for us Genin who hadn't journeyed much farther than our own borders since graduating from the Academy.

"I can't wait to get a whole lotta food in me." Akiko exclaimed marching ahead of the squad and rubbing the palm of his hand over his grumbling stomach.

"I can't wait for a real bed, And a hot shower." Yumi added, sighing wistfully at the thought, before she shifted her gaze back over her shoulder to me, "What about you, Kimimaro?"

My brow furrowed as I considered her question. Admittedly, all three of those things sounded pretty good, though none of them were at the top of my head or had even crossed into my mind. All I could think about now was my Mother. Since her death, I had tried so hard to keep my emotions in check, to stop the memory of her because losing the one person in the world that loved me was too painful to bare. Now, I found it hard to think of anything other than her - she was all I could see, she was all I could hear. Her spirit was here, in the place of her birth. And I feared what was coming for me once I stepped into the Village. Would anyone recognize me? Did anyone remember my mother? Know my Father? There were so many unknowns. Yet, at the same time, I was… excited to know that answers to these questions. Maybe I would find some peace here after all.

Though, I remained as expressionless as always. sensing my increasing anxiety Hiroka-Sensei slowed his pace until he was walking beside me. He didn't call out on the obvious, and he did not dwell on it at all, instead like a good leader, he encouraged me forward be laying a gentle hand on my shoulder as we approached the gate.

"You all could use showers really," He joked, sniffing the air around him and pretending to smell a very foul odor, "You stink."

Yumi snorted a laugh, Akiko lifted his arm and took a whiff of his armpit then shrugged his shoulders, "True."

And just like that, my mood lightened. We reached the gate. Two rather bored looking Jounin manned the entrance.

"You must be the squad from the Sand." One of the men said, adjusting his forehead protector as he eyed our team warily, "You're the last team to arrive. We have been waiting for you."

The man's partner, still leaning lazily back against a wooden check-in desk, surveyed us with silent interest.

"Better late than never though." He added.

Hiroka-Sensei offered the man his hand in greeting, and then stepped right into the other Jounin's personal space, his voice low and commanding, at first, "We are never late. We arrived at precisely the time we planned too." He grinned, released the Jounin's hand, took a step backwards and then swept his arm to his side presenting us Genin, "This is Yumi Ishii, Akiko Okamoto and our number one rookie, Kimimaro Kaguya. I am Hiroka Nakamura."

The Jounin cleared his throat, clearly intimidated by Hiroka-Sensei's boldness, "Ahem. Yes, welcome," He said acknowledging the squad then turned his head to look back at his partner. After consulting a clipboard, the other man nodded his head, but again, didn't say a single word. "Seems everything checks out. Let's go."

Our squad shared curious glances and then, we were walking again.

"My name is Kotetsu Hagane, back there is Izumo Kamizuki. We are assistants to the Lord Hokage himself and will be invigilators in the Chuunin exams, overseeing some aspects of the tasks."

"And official welcome committee," Akiko mumbled jokingly, earning him a jab in the ribs from Yumi and a glare from Hiroka-Sensei.

A small smile broke my usual stoicism.

On first impression, the Village Hidden in the Leaves was… beautiful. Much more picturesque than Sunagakure. The streets and walkways were, amazingly, free from sand and everywhere you looked there was green - trees and shrubs lined our path, and on every other which way you could turn. It was a huge contrast to our village. Surprisingly, after my initial trepidation, I felt complacent about being in the Village, and maybe even a sense of rightness. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, before glancing skywards. Maybe my Mother was looking over me from above after all. Maybe I could be okay.

Our group came to a sudden stop.

"This is where the visiting shinobi are lodging for the duration of the exams," Kotetsu explained, "Your squad has been assigned the East Wing." He added and then handed Hiroka-Sensi a large sealed envelope. "Some information about the exams, where and when and such, Good luck."

Kotetsu gave us a quick salute and then shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants as he turned away and headed back in the direction of the main gates, leaving us to our own devices.

"Alright, kids. I have to go check in with the Proctor of the exams and meet up with the other Captains. Go settle in, enjoy yourselves. I'll see you all later tonight." Hiroka-Sensei tossed his bag to Akiko, probably harder than he needed to as the boy almost got knocked onto his ass being caught off guard, before sauntering off to meet with the other importants.

"Ass." Akiko muttered and then swung the backpack over one of his shoulders, "You know. he was supposed to buy us BBQ."

"Seriously. We'll have to "borrow" some money from him. I bet he left some in his bag," Yumi added with a smirk, then reached for Hiroka-Sensei's backpack to check. Akiko didn't try to stop her.

My interest was also peaked, "He keeps his good kunai in there. I need to "borrow" them too." I said, looking over Yumi's shoulder as she unzipped the bag.

She snorted a laugh and Akiko grinned proudly at our groups harmless misbehavior.

"Cha ching," Yumi remarked, presenting a small wallet that she had discovered at the very bottom of the pack. "And…" She then took out a set of three brand new kunai, offering them to me by the hilts.

"Looks like it's going to be a good night, boys."


	4. A Konoha Genin Encounter

Chapter III - A Konoha Genin Encounter

The Village of the Leaf had a notably active nightlife. The people, both young and old, were out and about, restaurants were busy, and stores remained open well beyond what was commonplace back in our own Sand Village. I supposed without the threat of a sandstorm appearing at any moment in time there was no real good reason to be cautious of the late evenings or the impending darkness.

What an odd concept that was.

Unaccustomed to the late hours, Akiko, Yumi and I stayed out well beyond the sun falling beyond the horizon, making the most of the limited free time that we had been granted before the Chuunin exams filled our upcoming days and weeks. We wandered the market district perusing shop windows; Akiko especially interested in the snack stands, and Yumi and I wanted to visit the Village's armoury. The locals were also very welcoming to us outsiders, often stopping us to engage in conversation and wishing us luck in the exams.

Later on, our squad had found an empty parkade just out the city centre to decompress in silence after all the hustle and bustle of the marketplace and extending our freedom for a just few hours longer before Hiroka-Sensei sent out a search party for us.

I was busy admiring a new set of shuriken I had purchased, when Akiko sat heavily down onto the ground beside me.

"Her obsession with weapons scares me." He said, exhaling a hard breath and shaking his head.

I didn't pay much attention to Akiko's presence, only turning my head slightly to acknowledge him before shifting my gaze away once again, "What's that?" I muttered, throwing a shuriken with lighting speed. It hit its mark a second later; a thin branch at the very top of a tree above us split and leaves began to rain down.

"Actually. You both terrify me." Akiko swatted away some stray foliage.

I snorted and glanced over to our squad mate. Yumi was playing target practice with her kunai. Though a lot more passionately than I had been with the shuriken. Overhearing our conversation, she smirked and piped in with, "I'll carve all our initials into this tree as a memento of our visit to Konoha. It's the most loving way to tell you I care. And that I have a knife... and I know how to use it."

Akiko shuddered. "Yep. Scary."

"But we're small, so it's adorable." I said mirthfully, albeit with a straight face.

A second later I disappeared from Akiko's side and reappeared at the top of the tree. I needed to retrieve my lodged weapons.

Perching agilely on the branch, I peered out over the Village. I could see most of it from up this high - the main gates, the great sculpture of the Village's Hokages' carved into stone, and even the stadium where, in just a couple of weeks, we would be completing our final Chuunin exam. It was a sight to behold.

The wind picked up, rustling the leaves and tossing long, loose strands of my hair away from my neck and gently tickling my face. The cool breeze felt nice against my warmed skin. I inhaled a deep breath, savoring the rare moment of tranquility then began to collect my shuriken.

I was just putting the last piece in my holster when I heard footsteps approaching the parkade. It sounded like a small group. _No. Not a group. Just three sets of footsteps._

I crept silently to the edge of the branch, undetected, and peered down through the foliage. I was right. It was a squad from the Hidden Leaf. And if my observations were correct, they were also Genin and probably due to take the Chunnin exams as we were.

I relaxed back onto my haunches, crouching low, deciding to remain concealed for the time being - on guard and up high - as they drew near to Yumi and Akiko below.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the shinobi from the Sand," One of the three spoke. He was taller than the other two boys and stood coolly and calmly up front and centre.

Unphased by the appearance of the rival squad, Yumi continued her target practice, sending a kunai from her hand into a neighbouring tree - without looking at her target of course - and grinned sweetly at the three boys. Akiko only lifted his head, brow arched.

"We've been looking for you Sand kids. Where is your third?" The tall dark-haired boy asked, his head canting to one side, "Kimimaro, right? The only competing rookie this year. I've heard a lot about him."

With the mention of my name, Akiko who had remained sitting casually on the ground, immediately jumped to his feet, abruptly alert. "All good things, I'm sure." He answered warily through a somewhat cautionary grin, and he flexed his fingers into balled fists at his side.

Yumi idled up to stand in line with him for support.

I shook my head. _Always so tense._

The Leaf Genin snorted a laugh, "Bad things. Great, bad things." The boy crossed his arms over his chest and he subtly shifted his gaze from left to right, and then finally up.

He was looking for me, and he knew very well that I would be near my team, that I would not stray far from my squad in a foreign village. He hadn't detected my exact location yet though.

"And who may you be?" Yumi asked, eyeing up the boy.

"Sora…"

" _A Uchiha?"_ I whispered. The clan's fan flame crest was distinguishable, and there was one on each of the boy's shirt sleeves. I had never met anyone with the Uchiha name. But it was legendary, as were their reputations as exceptional Shinobi. I needed to get closer.

Leaping swiftly from my perch, I landed deftly on the ground beside my squad mates, rising to meet the dark-haired boy at eye level. "Uchiha,"

Sora grinned slowly, "Kimimaro."

"Yes."

"So, you've heard of me too, huh? I…"

I nonchalantly shook my head, interrupting him before he got the wrong idea, "I've never heard of you. I just recognized the clan crests on your shirt."

That took him down a peg or two. His overly cavalier smile faded into a scornful frown. But it was only brief, blink and you would have missed it as seconds later he was smiling again, "I see. And you…" His gaze travelled the length of my body and then back up again to meet my eyes, "Are not what I expected."

His reaction to me was entirely predictable. I was often misjudged based on my appearance; I was small for my age, not much more than skin and bones beneath my traditional Oto-nin ensemble and being that I was usually inexpressive I came off as quite calm and quiet - and even gentle. None of the latter necessarily being false of my personality, but it was all very misleading when it came to my abilities as a Shinobi. More often than not it was advantageous, it worked in my favour.

And clearly Sora could not read me at all. He was hoping for a response to his initial scrutiny, something, at least a small reaction, however, my poker-face was solid, and I could tell that it bothered him. He was trying to measure up his competition and was getting nothing from me.

"Mmm. Anyways," Sora interjected following the short silence, "I'm glad I ran into you. And your squad."

"Ran into, searching for. One in the same, right?" I said, my head tilting just a touch.

The corner of Sora's mouth kicked up into an amused grin, "Hey, what can I say, I was interested. And I was not disappointed." He responded, looking first at Akiko, giving him a cordial nod, and then at Yumi, firing a cocksure wink in her direction.

And wow. I swore Yumi swooned. I was surprised. It usually took a lot more than a wink to win her heart over. Many men had tried and failed yet all it took from Sora was a blink of an eye? _Fascinating_. Akiko, however, was not impressed. I heard his teeth grinding together in frustration. He tried so hard to gain Yumi's affections, but nothing ever did work for him, "Fucking unbelievable." He muttered under his breath.

 _Poor guy._

Yumi did not miss the dig and elbowed Akiko in the ribs causing him to immediately double over in pain. She grinned as pure and innocent as ever. _Yep, everything was completely normal_. I stared ahead blankly, silent and impassive.

"You guys are too much," Sora bellowed a hard laugh, "Well, it's been a pleasure, Sand Children. I guess we'll see each other again at the exam tomorrow, yeah?"

"That is why we are here." I replied, ignoring the idiocy of my two counterparts.

Sora nodded with a wide smile, "Until next time, Kimimaro," He added and then disappeared with his squad.

I was too dumbfounded to move; by the unexpected presence of the rival Leaf squad and the ridiculous behavior of my own. I would've liked to learn a little more about the Uchiha boy before the Chuunin exams started, it never hurt to be prepared, but it seemed my team didn't share that notion.

"What an attractive, arrogant asshole," Yumi remarked, gazing blissfully at the spot Sora and his team had vacated, "He didn't ask for my name."

I sighed, "Let's get out of here."

Akiko groaned, wrapping one arm over his sore ribs, "I second that."


	5. That's A Pass

**Chapter IV - That's a Pass**

The First stage of the Chuunin Exams went exactly as I had expected. At a glance, ten questions, an hour to finish the exam, and always with a finishing fate-fuelled twist.

The first nine questions were really too difficult for an average Genin to answer but ultimately being correct was not important. Critical thinking was. And luckily for me, my squad had that in dimes. A fortune of dimes actually - even if a certain one of my comrades did not emanate that too well. Akiko was an intelligent Shinobi, despite what one might see on a surface level. And Yumi, well I wasn't too concerned about, she held her own.

The tenth and final question, now that was where the twist came into play, the real deal, the challenge that decided your fate as a Shinobi. And the pressure was legitimately complex as any individual decision to participate, or not, decided the fate of your entire squad.

Many Genin were still too immature to carry that kind of liability or burden on their shoulders and succumbed to the strain, exiting the room along with their squad mates.

"Six squads remain," Ibiki-Sensai shouted, trying to intimidate any further forfeits, "Confidence or stupidity?" He added, glaring at the scattered Genin surviving the consistent warnings and scare-tactics that he had been throwing around the room for the last ten minutes.

With a subtle shift of my head, I turned to look at my desk mate, Sora Uchiha. He caught my eyes and gave me a confident grin. He did not seem phased in the least, sitting straight in his chair, tapping his pencil against the desk in a rhythmic beat as he waited out the time and Ibiki-Sensei's continuing rampage.

I shifted my gaze back to the front of the room, impassive as always.

"Time's up!" Ibiki-Senei bellowed. "You Genin are willing to face the unknown?"

Around the room came a chorus of synchronized affirmation and enthusiastic nods, "Yes!"

Ibiki-Sensei marched closer to the first line of desks, his presence commanding, and he slammed his palms down against the wooden desktop. But then, he smirked, his bad cop routine was over, "Congratulations, Genin. You have passed the first exam."

I felt a hard hand come down against my shoulder, Sora, his smile as wide as ever, "Looks like we'll be stuck together for a little while longer, huh?"

I returned a rare grin of my own, "Actually, I it's probably best if you try to keep some distance when we enter the next stage."

Sora laughed, "Why do you do me like that, Kimimaro? I thought we were friends." He leaned a little closer, "Do I have to be worried about you?"

 _Friends? When had we become friends? We were acquaintances at best._

My head canted to the side. " _If_ we're friends, I'll give you one free pass."

Sora snorted a laugh. "Or maybe we could be allies out there… You know, it doesn't hurt to have someone watching your back." He suggested.

"I don't need anyone watching my back," I replied.

And if the timing couldn't get any worse, from behind, Yumi appeared wrapping her arms around my shoulders and slapping a kiss against my cheek. _Really?_ My nose instantly scrunched up. I did not usually like people touching me, especially not with the hugging and squeezing, however, she was one of a few that I tolerated so I didn't protest. "We did it, little brother!" Upon seeing Sora, she immediately released me from her arms, and backed up, flustered. "Hi."

"Hi," He said, with another one of those devilish winks.

Seconds later, Akiko arrived. I could tell that he was happy with the outcome of the exams, just by his posture alone, yet he still glowered at Sora. "Glad that's over." He yawned and stretched out his arms above his head. "Congrats all."

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I am starving," Sora stated, pushing out his chair and getting to his feet, "What do you say the best of the Sand and the best of the Leaf go out to celebrate?"

"I could eat," Akiko replied, his grimace fading a little at the mention of food.

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Yumi chimed in, batting her lashes," And maybe you can finally introduce us to the rest of your team, Sora." She teased, and then proceeded to bump her shoulder against his.

"Yeah, Uchiha. Introduce us to your friends." This time it was Sora's squad mates who spoke. One of them - a fair-skinned, blonde haired boy - jumped up to sit on the desk just by Sora. The other - who was unbelievably thinner than me and had a scar cutting through one eyebrow - ruffled Sora's black hair.

"Sand Children, these are the Leaf children," He started, then, "Ouch! What was that for?" Blondie smacked him upside the head. Akiko couldn't contain his laughter. I could see him and blondie becoming good friends.

"We're older than you, Asshole," Blondie snickered, the other Leaf shinobi chuckled deviously, "I'm Kaito Takahashi and this is Touma Sato."

Sora rubbed the back of his head and then introduced us to his squad, "Kaito, Touma. Meet the best of the Sand, Of course, Kimimaro you know. This is his sister, Yumi, and this disgruntled gentleman is Akiko."

Akiko blanked, his eye twitched. _Uh oh._

"So, we've all met, great." Yumi interjected, diffusing Akiko's anger before he lost his mind and went batshit crazy on Sora - it was only matter of time really. She grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him a few paces away, "How about that BBQ? Come on, Kimimaro."

 **...**

Hi everyone! LL here. I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has been reading and / or following along with my fic. I welcome any reviews, suggestions, and any feedback. Thanks again for the support!


	6. New Friends

**Chapter V - New Friends**

"Is that all you're eating, Kimimaro?" Sora questioned whilst simultaneously stuffing a large piece of barbequed pork into his mouth.

My chopsticks had been laid down for quite some time already and my plate, although empty, clearly showed the evidence of a meal. I had eaten, more than enough. Though, if my companions were of any comparison, one might say I had barely touched any food at all.

The others were just being downright and overly indulgent. Gluttonous even, trying to fit as much BBQ as they could into their growing bodies. Normal teenage habits. And that was all fine and well with me, we were celebrating after all; as long as they kept their opinions to themselves we could remain civil.

Hearing Sora's comment from across the table, Yumi scoffed, "Don't bother. He eats like a mouse."

Akiko piped in, his mouth crammed with food, "That's why he's so small."

I glared at my squad mate, "You're repulsive." I huffed and crossed my arms contemptuously over my chest.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Sora biting back a grin, listening intently to our bickering. Of course, it was all done with brotherly and sisterly love, nothing serious. The casual fighting and cursing was pretty normal for our squad, it showed we cared. But I supposed that was obvious considering the Leaf Genin snickered under their breaths.

"So, don't eat," Sora shrugged his shoulders and swung around in his chair, so he could face me, "More for us."

"You're not supposed to take all-you-can-eat as a personal challenge, Sora." I teased and edged away from him, just a little. I didn't like people in my personal space.

Sora licked his lip, grinning like a fiend, "We must get our money's worth."

"Yeah!" Akiko exclaimed, his mouth full AGAIN!

I scrunched up my nose in disgust, "Mm. Yeah, I don't think Yakiniku Q anticipated our group when they came up with this all-you-can-eat concept."

Sora laughed out loud. "To bad."

Soon, both Akiko and Yumi lost interest in criticizing my food consumption, and defending their own, resuming their conversations with Sora's Leaf squad mates. Yumi and Touma were discussing the advantages and disadvantages of kunai versus shuriken in battle, and which weapon they preferred. Kaito and Akiko were looking rather suspicious at the end of the table, probably devising some practical jokes to play on the group later.

"Well, they all seem to be getting along well," I observed. "Amazingly."

Sora nodded his head in agreement, "It makes sense though."

I arched a brow, "How so?"

"Well," He leaned in closer, moving his arm to rest on the back of my chair, "Our squads, we're like... " He waved his free hand around, trying to come up with the right words, "Like a perfect parallel. The same people, matches even, but like... you're sand, and we're leaf. You see?"

I gave him a dubious look, "Explain."

"Okay, let me break this down," He grinned, and drew my attention to our left, "So, we have Yumi and Touma there. Clearly maniacs. They love their weapons more than their own Mothers. Probably. Kindred spirits." He abruptly turned his head to the right, to the end of the table where Kaito and Akiko were huddled, "And those two clowns don't know how to be serious for more than a few minutes at a time - even if it bit them right in the ass."

I smiled lightly, "You're not wrong." I looked back over at Sora.

"I know." He said smugly, "I'm not just a pretty face you know."

I snorted. I was not going to dignify that with a real answer.

"And then there is you. And me." He said, somewhat hesitant.

"Oh?" My head tilted slightly to the side, curious where he was going with this.

On all accounts, Sora and I were not similar, not in the least. He was the stereotypical tall-dark-and-handsome type. He was charismatic; girls wanted to be with him and boys wanted to be him. And then there was me. The… opposite of all that. Almost banal in comparison. I was short, thin, and pale; an outcast, perhaps a little misunderstood but still mostly shunned. We came from two very different worlds and it showed, and not just on a physical level. Emotionally, mentally we were years apart.

"I know what you're thinking," He said interrupting my thoughts, "You don't think we have anything in common. But you're wrong." He said, cocky grin firmly in place.

 _Was he being serious or was he just mocking me?_

"I mean, do you think we would we get along so well if we were so different?" He added.

I shook my head, "No. I'm pretty sure we get along because we are _very_ different, Sora."

"Opposites attract? Is that what you hinting at, Kimimaro?"

"Something like that."

"How about this," He started, "You are a very talented Shinobi. I am also a very talented Shinobi."

"That is a very self-confident statement." I said in a friendly-ribbing tone.

"I'm not finished." He said with a small chuckle, "You have your Shikotsumyaku, I have my Sharingan. Those are two special abilities. Who else can say they share something like that?"

He was not entirely wrong, but I still failed to see how we were "similar". My Kekkei Genkai was completely different to the Sharingan. I was the only living person, that I knew of anyway, that had the Shikotsumyaku. The Uchiha clan was notoriously filled with the Sharingan. I didn't think that it made me a better shinobi, or that my ability was more special, but it was certainly different.

He continued. "We are both the youngest on our squads, we have no siblings, we are definitely the better looking…"

"Okay," I held up a hand, stopping him with a small laugh, "i'll concede that we have some things in common but I still disagree that we are similar, which was the point in question if i'm not mistaken," I said, adjusting my seating position, "If I were anything like you, you probably would not like me all that much."

Sora opened his mouth prepared to dispute that point before I interrupted him, "And if you were anything like me, well... in all honesty, the same thing goes. We can be friends because of our differences."

I gave him a moment to let that sink in. He seemed skeptical, though thoughtful. His eyes searching my own as he pondered our friendly debate. Did he agree with me? Or was he trying to find a way to argue my point? I couldn't be sure, we were not that well-acquainted, not enough for me to read him non-verbally anyway.

"Tell me i'm wrong," I requested. I then picked up my tea cup and took a small sip.

Finally, Sora smiled. "I guess I can't."

He was right about one thing however, we did get along very well, and for me, well that was extremely rare. I didn't have many friends and I certainly didn't share long conversations with other people. But for reasons unknown, I was comfortable with Sora. Maybe it was true what they say about new friendships - that they bring new energy to your soul, and that people are drawn together because they see the same truths, and they share it.

It was a nice thought.


	7. Calm before the Storm

**Chapter VI - Calm before the Storm**

It was early morning.

The remaining six Genin squads had all gathered at the checkpoint at the perimeter of the Forest of Death, preparing themselves for the next stage of the Chuunin exams. There was our squad from the Sand, two from the Mist and three from the Leaf.

Yumi, Akiko and I were unusually quiet and calm, waiting patiently for the proctor of the exams to arrive and listening somewhat absently to Hiroka-Sensei as he talked relentlessly; sharing tactics and words of encouragement before sending us into the mysterious training grounds.

The two squads from the Mist were using their pre-exam time much more productively; warming up with kunai target practice and one-on-one sparring matches to ready themselves for what was to come. Tough kids. Or maybe it was just a ploy, intimidation, a show of strength?

It didn't rattle me in the least.

The Leaf Genin seemed to be in much higher spirits. The squads socialized and laughed amongst themselves. They seemed comfortable, though, I knew better. I could see it in their eyes. Their unease, their worry. Anyone looking in from the outside could see it was all just a ruse. Strength in numbers, but individually they were just as anxious as we were. After all, we were about to face the unknown, not one us knowing how many would come out alive on the other end.

I glanced from the Mist Genin to the Leaf. So many potential sacrifices of young and talented Shinobi. History would suggest half of us would not make it on to the next stage. Maybe even less. And it was kind of eerie to think that this could be the last time some of us were seen alive.

I sank down into a crouch and rested my chin onto my clasped hands in thoughtful premeditation, visualizing how these next five days would go down. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The atmosphere darkened, it was all very ominous.

It seemed Mother Nature had a sense of what was to come for us Genin. Gray clouds gathered on the horizon. A storm was brewing, in every sense of the word, and in just a couple of hours it would be here. For the days following our entry into the forest, there would be turmoil.

"Kimimaro."

I had spaced out again, getting lost in my own head. I flicked my eyes up and was met by the concerned face of Hiroka-Sensei. He had been giving our squad a kind of pep-talk, trying to get us worked up, excited.

"You've got this." He reassured, placing one hand on Yumi's shoulder and the other on Akiko's. He nodded and announced, "The proctor has arrived."

The crowd began to converge, moving closer together.

"Listen up everyone!"

Silence settled over the groups as Anko Mitarashi took the platform. Without any pleasantries, she got straight down to business and immediately began to deliver the instructions for the second stage of the Chuunin exams.

Our ultimate objective, make it to the tower in the centre of the grounds with two scrolls in hand. Five days.

"Each squad will be given one scroll, either Heaven or Earth." She explained, pacing first to the left and then back to the right, "Once you have two," She stopped and held up two fingers, "All three of your team members must make it to the tower by the end of day five."

There were murmurs amongst the crowd. One Genin from the Mist, looking overly confident, raised her hand, "So… you're saying we have to take a scroll from another team to pass? What are the rules?"

With her question, she and her two teammates glared in the direction of our squad, their smiles malicious.

Yumi popped her hip out, arms crossing over her chest. "What's their problem?"

"Hmmm?" Akiko yawned, and he languidly stretched his arms above his head, a show of indifference, his gaze apathetic. The Mist could glare at him all they wanted, he couldn't care less. "Ignore them."

I too glanced briefly at the rival squad but did not move a muscle. They were just trying to antagonise us. We were better than that.

Up front, Anko shouted over the crowd, "To pass the exam you will need to steal an opposing scroll _by any means necessary_." She explained, emphasizing the last few words, "And here is the fun part, the type of scroll your squad carries is known only to you and your two teammates. Any further questions?"

Silence.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Anko jumped from the small wooden stage and made her way over to a tent that concealed the important details of the next step. Each candidate had to sign a release form, in case of death, before their squad was given a scroll and granted entry into the exam grounds.

Standard procedure, all very secretive.

"Okay," Anko picked up a clipboard, "Squad 5 from The Leaf, you're up."

Immediately I lifted my head, _"Sora."_ I whispered as I watched his squad walk fearlessly towards the tent and then disappear inside.

"This is no joke, huh." Yumi said. She was anxious, biting down into her lower lip.

I shifted my gaze up to her and then back to the tent, "You're going to be fine. We're going to be fine."

Akiko joined us and carefully, almost tentatively, placed his arm around Yumi's shoulders for support. Usually that would have earned him an elbow in the ribs, but not this time. This time Yumi leaned into his side, her head coming to rest against his broad shoulder. She always put on a brave face but knew when to accept some comfort when she needed it.

"Yeah. We have each other." He added.

"Squad 9 from the Mist." Anko called out. And, again, the Mist Genin gave our team dirty looks as they made their way over to the tent to be put through the process.

"Assholes," Yumi muttered, cracking her knuckles. Akiko grinned.

There was more thunder. Louder. Closer now. Lightning flashed, illuminating the nearing clouds.

From the other side of the tent, Sora and his squad appeared. Their heads were down, faces serious and they were talking to each other in careful hushed tones. As they passed our squad Sora stopped, he offered me a tense smile - that was so unlike his usual charming grin - and then said something to Kaito and Touma, I couldn't hear what, but they nodded in response and then they separated, the two older boys joining the other Leaf Genin, Sora walking towards me.

"Hey, KK."

My brow furrowed, "Don't call me that."

"Don't like nicknames, huh?" He chuckled cautiously, "Sorry, sorry." He brushed his hand over the top of his head, pushing his thick mop of black hair away from his forehead. "So, you ready for this?" He asked.

I didn't look at him, instead focused on the storm clouds that were rolling in. There was no turning back now. I was as ready as I ever would be.

"Yes." I replied honestly.

He scoffed, "You know, you are very mature for your age."

"Thanks. It's the trauma." I got back to my feet, smoothed my hands down the front of my tunic and turned towards my new friend.

He arched one brow, taken aback by my response.

Unlike the other Genin, including the courageous Sora himself, I was not particularly anxious about the unknowns or of whatever came next in the exams. If death was my fate in the forest than that was my destiny and there was nothing I could do to change it. I had nothing to lose. And I also truly believed in my squad. We were talented enough, we were driven enough, we would successfully complete this stage of the exams. No doubts. We had spent months training and planning, we were more than ready.

"I've... never killed anyone before," Sora admitted with a frown that creased his brow, "It might come to that…"

My head tilted slightly to one side. _That was what he was worried about?_

Again, he pushed his fingers through his hair, I noticed his forehead was slightly damp with some beads of sweat, "Have you… you know... ever...?" He asked, face paling as he drew one finger across his throat.

"Hm." _How did I respond to that?_

My lips straightened into a thin line. Did he want an honest answer or was he just looking for some reassurance? _Or maybe he was he worried about being stuck in that arena with me?_

I was torn.

Yes, I had killed people, I had murdered other Shinobi and I was not proud of that. But it was done. And every day, when I look down at the figurative blood on my hands, all I can think is that no one understands me, or what I have been through to get to where I am now.

I was surrounded by other Shinobi who were just like me, Genin who were about to go through the same trials and tribulations as I was. I knew this, yet, I felt strangely alone. They were all so… inexperienced, almost innocent in comparison. I couldn't even begin to explain what I was and what I had done. But I didn't need too, I knew I was not like them, I was different.

Sora swallowed hard, he opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

I sighed. "Sora. I don't plan on killing anyone in there. And neither should you. You don't want that on your conscious. Trust me." I explained.

"But what if…"?

"Don't even think about it. You go in there and you do everything and anything you can to avoid it coming to that."

I don't know whether that satisfied his curiosity, or helped him with any internal dilemmas, and I never would get a chance to find out. Our team was being called. The last of the six.

"Time to go," Sora said with a nod, and I returned the gesture.

I took a few steps backwards, "Good luck, Sora." I said, not knowing when or where - or if - I would ever see my friend again.

"Hey,' He said, grin crooked, he came a little closer, and held out his hand to me, "One free pass, remember?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, and I took his hand in mine. The shake was firm, "I remember."

We turned away from each other then, walking in opposite directions.

Our squad met at the entrance to the tent, gathered ourselves and then disappeared inside. We signed our waivers in contemplative silence and were then given a scroll. The Heaven Scroll. Collectively, we agreed Akiko would carry the document. Physically, he was the strongest out of the three of us and had a better chance at defending it. At close combat anyway. Yumi and I would never let that happen but either way it was a safe bet.

We exited the tent. Hiroka-Sensei was waiting for us.

"We are ready!" Anko bellowed, "Each squad, please move to your gate. We begin in thirty. On my signal."

Squads scattered. We made our way to the East, finding our gate a short time later. Gate number seven. Beyond the mesh fence, the forest was dark and the trees thick, but It was so quiet - you could have heard a pin drop.

"This is it." Hiroka-Sensei said, glancing at each one of us in turn, "Like we planned. Like we trained."

We nodded our heads.

"Yumi, let Kimimaro lead. Take up the rear. Focus, and stay alert. We need your medical ninjutsu if there are any injuries."

"Right!" Yumi responded.

"Akiko, i'm counting on you to keep that scroll safe. Stay strong, don't let your guard down."

"I won't let you down, Hiroka-Sensei!" He replied.

"Kimimaro. Don't… kill anyone. You know our rule…"

"Yes." I nodded my head, crossed my heart. I understood. That which was forbidden would not be said or used. _The Shikotsumyaku._

Hiroka-Sensei stood tall, satisfied, grinning like a fiend. "I'm proud of you all." He said before he began to get choked up... just a little. He reached out for us, dragging us into a group hug which, of course, we all protested against, struggling to get free, "Good luck out there."

A loud shot filled the air, and then a red flare burst above the arena. The gates swung open.

After freeing ourselves from Hiroka-Sensei's grip, our squad did not hesitate for a second, fleeing into the forest.

"I'll see you on the other side!" Hiroka-Sensei called out loudly after us, his voice faded.

Lighting struck. Thunder clapped. And rain began to pour down.

Stage two was underway.


	8. A Rainy Day Won

**Chapter VII - A Rainy Day Won**

Rain continued to pelt down, innocent looking puddles threatening to turn into lakes all over the training grounds. After more than half a day in the Forest of Death there was still no end in sight for the dismal weather that dampened the beginnings of the exam.

Literally.

Akiko, Yumi and I had had enough of the wet and the cold and decided to take a short break.

Near a small outcrop of rock, we found shelter under an overhanging boulder where the forest was thinned out a little and the land flat and grassy instead of the usual mud and dirt. We needed to regroup and come up with a better strategy, one that did not involve haphazardly roaming the arena in a rainstorm. It wasn't getting us anywhere.

I took up watch at the edge of our rock cover, crouching low to the ground as I gazed out at the downpour, my chin resting on my clasped hands in deliberation. _What did we do next? Where did we go next?_ Likely, the other squads were in the exact same position, enduring the rainfall in whatever way they could until the conditions were more favorable.

But that was just speculation. Any squad who was desperate enough to get their hands on a second scroll may brave the weather and continue to battle for the prize.

"This stinks," Yumi said, kicking at a small rock. It rolled right past me, out of the cavern and into one of the rain-created pools.

Akiko, as nonchalant as ever, grinned, "Would you prefer to play in the puddles?"

Yumi scowled, "I'd prefer to be out there looking for another scroll!"

I looked back over my shoulder at them, narrowing my eyes, "Are you done?" I asked, "None of us want to be here hiding out in here from the rain." I shifted my gaze away from them both, diverting my attention to my guard duties and my thoughts.

Behind me, Yumi muttered under her breath. She was frustrated; soaking wet and irritated. We could all relate, she just didn't know how to chill out. Sulking wasn't going to change our circumstances.

"Kimimaro?" Akiko appeared at my side, he leaned back against the rock face, arms folding coolly across his chest, "Anything out there?"

I scanned the treeline from left to right, and then back again. My senses were dulled. It was hard to see past the foggy white curtain of mist that the rain had created, and it was even harder to hear over the dull roar of the steady rainfall. But as far as I could tell, we were alone.

I shook my head, "No."

He nodded his head, "Good. I'm dripping. Ugh. Need to dry off a bit."

Again, relatable. Tiny torrents of water ran down my face, my neck, and drenched the collar of my tunic.

"My shoes are muddy sponges right now." Yumi grumbled.

I shook my head and stood up from my squat. "Why don't you start a fire? Then we can plan our next move." I suggested, trying to redirect her girlish whining and turn it into something more productive.

"Yes. Good idea." Akiko agreed, wringing his shirt out.

"Okay. On it," Yumi said, stacking some wood and dry debris into a neat pile.

"We should eat something." Akiko added.

There was movement and then a striking match… "Wait."

Something or someone was coming. And through the blur of rain, came three figures. It was hard to make out who, but it was a another Genin squad, and they were heading for our shelter.

"Akiko, Yumi."

They both let out small unexpecting gasps but immediately became alert, each of them taking up a position at my sides.

The approaching footsteps became louder, water splashed around their bodies as they ran towards us. And then suddenly, they stilled.

"STOP!" One of the opposing Genin shouted, holding their arms out to halt their teammates progress.

We stood our ground.

This team was from the Leaf, I could just make out the symbol on their headbands and, thankfully, it was not Sora, Kaito and Touma. I wasn't at all prepared to deal with that situation if it were the case. But this team, I was not familiar with.

The opposing squad took up a defensive position, as did we, neither of us making a move. We stared at one another, each group surveying the risks and the gains of a fight right at that moment and determining how to proceed.

"This is our chance," Akiko whispered.

"Yeah," Yumi nodded her head firmly, "Yeah. Let's get their scroll."

I was hesitant. And I wasn't sure why. Really. Maybe it was sympathy for the opposing squad? They hadn't been looking for a fight, they were just seeking shelter from the rain. Probably equally as uncomfortable and frustrated with the weather. But on the other hand, we were in the Forest of Death, this was an exam. We were supposed to be fighting. We were supposed to be actively trying to get a second scroll, so we could get to that tower and move on to the next stage. We all wanted to become Chuunin. Fighting was how we would succeed. But that didn't mean it had to be violent...

 _Hmm._ I pondered, eyeing up the competition.

"You got a plan, Kimimaro?" Akiko asked.

Yumi tilted her head towards me.

During the brief interlude, I had already devised one. Several, and I knew we could get their scroll without physical force. Easy peasy.

I Nodded, "Follow my lead."

Finally, one of the Leaf Genin spoke up, "Uhh… hi…." He seemed nervous. Rightfully so.

"They're all yours, little brother."

Without further thought – just instinct alone, I widened my stance and my hands came together forming the seal of the Hare, followed by the Ram and then the Snake. The ground began to shake. I repeated the sequence, "Earth Style: Great Moving Earth Core!"

Yumi grinned, flashing her teeth menacingly. "Bye." She gave the team a little finger wave.

The Leaf Genin screamed in shock - the ground below their feet falling away. They dropped down into a deep chasm, disappearing from our sight.

Akiko snickered. "Surprise!"

Quickly, our squad left the covered shelter and moved out into the rain, jogging right up to the edge of the pit and then glancing over the edge.

A cloud of dust settled over the fallen squad.

"You okay?" Yumi shouted down to them.

"Oh yeah, just great," Came a sarcastic, outraged response from within the hole, followed by bouts of coughing.

Our squad shared amused glances.

"We're really sorry," Yumi added, biting back a laugh.

"Shut up." Came a gruff reply.

We all snickered.

"Hey, why don't you send up your scroll and then we'll help you get out of there." Akiko proposed. He leaned further over the edge, hands on his bent knees.

"Why don't you come down and take it from us? Asshole."

"We have the high ground, that's a position of strength. Come on now, we are not stupid." Akiko snorted, then looked first at me and then at Yumi, "Perhaps they just need a little more… incentive." He clapped his palms together and formed the seal of the Tiger, "Earth Flow River Jutsu!"

The Leaf Genin shrieked as the ground of the man-made crater softened, turning to mud, and their feet began to slowly sink.

"How about now?" Yumi asked.

"What if we have the same scroll? You're just wasting your time. You're not getting it!" One of the Leaf Genin called out to us, struggling and failing to free himself from the mud.

Yumi shrugged her shoulders, "If it's not the one we need, we'll give it back to you."

Whispers came from inside the pit. Plotting, planning, scheming? I knew they could easily get out of the hole if they wanted too, I hadn't made it so deep that escape would be impossible but if we were standing by, they would have to fight their way out. And clearly, they were trying to avoid that. The mud was also a bit of a nuisance.

"Well?"

"How do we know we can trust you?"

I sighed, this was quickly becoming monotonous, "You don't, but the way I see it is that you don't really have much of a choice. If it isn't the scroll we need, you'll get it back. If it is the scroll we need, we walk. Either way, you will get a second chance. But you are stuck in a hole until you make that decision."

The three Leaf Genin were up to their knees in mud now and I was growing anxious. I did not want to seriously injure anyone, especially if these were friends of Sora's, or his teammates. I would step in and resolve this peacefully if it came to that. Even if Yumi and Akiko disagreed.

 _I took a deep breath. Patience._

"You have my word." I said, trying to speed this up, and I placed my hand over my heart in sincerity.

"Give them the scroll, Hiro!" The Leaf girl shouted, "We are going to sink, and we are going to drown!"

"Smart girl, cute too," Akiko said, "Hey, what's your name sweetheart? Maybe I can take you out on a date some time? Make it up to you."

"Go to hell!" She returned, irate.

I blinked. _Unbelievable._

Yumi gave Akiko a curt shove, "ARE YOU BEING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW? TRYING TO SCORE A DATE?" She blasted him. Akiko blanched.

I sighed again, "Just… give us your scroll. No one gets hurt."

The one named Hiro grunted in defeat and then, from inside his holster, he produced their squads scroll.

"We have a deal?" He reconfirmed with me.

"Yes, we have a deal." I replied, with all honesty.

The boy groaned, frustrated, yet still reluctant to surrender the scroll. But seconds later, he tossed it up to us. Yumi caught it in her right hand.

Luck had run into us. It was an Earth scroll! So much for bad weather.

Akiko took it from Yumi and tucked it away with our Heaven scroll, nice and secure. After a brief moment of celebration, we all turned back around to look down at the Leaf Genin who were waiting apprehensively at the bottom of the pit.

"Thank you!" I beamed, "We're going to go now. If I were you, I wouldn't wait to long to get out of there. You'll get stuck in that mud permanently."

"Fuck you!" Hiro said, the girl huffed, the other boy growled.

I tilted my head slightly to the side, and crouched down right at the very edge of the pit, "Do you need some help?" I asked, my face as impassive as always.

"I said fuck you!"

 _Well, okay then._ "Don't say I didn't offer. Good luck." I stood up and backed away, out of their sight.

"Buh-bye," Yumi said, finger waving once again, her smile unnervingly pleasant.

Akiko gave them a hearty salute.

We retreated, springing into the treetops. But I couldn't leave the Leaf Genin behind without first knowing that they were able to get out of the pit safely. So, we waited, perched on a branch high above. As soon as the first Shinobi sprang up and out, that was it, our squad vanished, the rain washing away any trace of us and our tracks.


	9. Allies

**Chapter VIII - Allies**

We had it! The second scroll. Heaven and Earth together, and our squad in high-spirits despite the continuing rainstorm.

We had covered a lot of ground since procuring the additional scroll from the Leaf squad, heading directly for the centre of the arena and towards out final tower destination; unbothered by the miserable conditions. However, it was already dark, probably after midnight; we had been travelling all day and were gradually losing speed and steam.

We couldn't keep up the same pace until daybreak. Although we were particularly good at concealing our bodily limitations, we were all exhausted from the physical effort of our day and from the weather combined. It was also becoming increasingly more difficult to navigate the Forest with the moon entirely hidden behind dark clouds.

We stopped to take a breather on a large thick branch. Akiko huffed and puffed, Yumi immediately sank down onto her ass, slumping against the trunk of the tree and I bent over, hands on my knees as my breaths came hard and fast.

"We should set up camp for the night." Yumi suggested, her head falling back against the tree, "I'm beat."

She was right. As much as we all wanted to continue moving, spurred on by the imminent success of the exam, we knew we wouldn't make it to the tower. We needed to rest. None of us really knew how much further we had to go or what would be waiting for us when we finally made it. We had to be physically and mentally prepared.

"Yeah. And I'm starving. I need to eat something." Akiko concurred, rubbing a palm over his grumbling belly.

The Forest was thick in this part of the arena, the treetops shielded the ground from most of the rain so finding a dry patch of ground to build a fire and sleep for the night wouldn't be too difficult. But before we set up camp, a little area assessment was required.

"Wait here," I instructed before springing from one branch to another.

There was a lingering scent of smoke on the air. I needed to investigate further, to make sure this was a safe area for our squad to settled in.

About twenty feet away, there was a small incline in the terrain. The higher ground was dry, and more rock sheltered the forest floor. A perfect spot indeed, but it was already occupied by another squad. They had a small fire going and were huddled around it, quietly whispering to each other. I knew these Genin, would recognize that trio at any distance.

I grinned, and leapt from the tree, landing deftly and silently a few yards behind the trio.

"Someone's here." Touma barked and his head shot back and up.

Immediately, the other two boys popped up from their places on high alert and reached for their weapons holsters. Seconds later, a Kunai went flying by my ear with a crackling hiss and I yelped in surprise. Thankfully I had ducked out of the way, just in time, to avoid being hit.

 _They were tense. Very tense._

"It's just me," I said announcing my arrival. I put my hands up, palms open and facing them in submission, I was no threat. They could all relax. I stepped into the outer edges of the glowing ring of light the fire had created.

"Fuck! Kimimaro!" Touma roared.

"Phew, that was really close." I said approaching them. And I almost let out a sigh of relief as the warmth of the fire touched my body. I was wet and cold right down to the bone. It was wonderful.

"I almost killed you." He added, paling in realization, before he dropped his ass heavily back down to the ground.

Sora laughed hard, "Yeah right. He saw that kunai coming before it even left your hand."

Touma growled at his team mate.

I grinned, "His aim was spot on though," I said, acknowledging the skill and accuracy of his throw.

"You alone, Kimimaro? Where are your buddies?" Kaito asked with a hint of concern. I noticed a slight limp when he moved, and then with difficulty, he tried to get comfortable on a section of a fallen tree. He was injured. His left leg wrapped up from ankle to knee.

"Not far behind." I replied, eyeing up the damage. From where I was standing, it didn't look too serious but who knew what was going on underneath those bandages. I gave the other two boys a once over. They seemed okay. Uninjured. "So what squad was it?" I inquired.

Sora's face instantly fell, he scowled, and crossed his arms over his chest, "The Mist."

My eyes narrowed briefly. "Your scroll?"

"Safe."

I nodded.

Kaito threw another handful of sticks onto the fire, and gingerly stretched his injured leg out in front of him, "Yeah. We got them back though, right Touma?"

Touma grunted in concordance, "They left without a scroll and some broken bones."

I could only imagine the condition the other Genin were in. Touma was a big guy, especially for his age. Nearing six feet tall he towered over me, and his broad muscular shoulders were likely three times the size of my own. He could crush anyone he wanted too. Yet, oddly enough, he preferred weapons over physical force. That, however, didn't mean he couldn't, or wouldn't, pack a mean punch if he was so inclined.

"LITTLE BROTHER!"

I almost jumped out of my skin at the shrill voice hollering at me. _Shit._ I had let my guard down for just a minute, but it was enough time for Yumi and Akiko to sneak up behind. That was a rare occurrence, I had to be more diligent.

"We thought something had happened to you!" Yumi pulled me into her arms, hugging me tight before pushing me away once again, "Idiot. Don't scare us like that."

"Speak for yourself," Akiko muttered, joining Kaito on his log seat, he put his hands up to the fire, warming them, "I wasn't worried."

Yumi gritted her teeth but then blanched as she noticed Kaito's injury, "You're hurt."

"It's nothing,' The blonde boy waved off her concern, "I'm good."

Yumi put one hand on her hip, "Really? I can help you. If you ask nicely." She glanced away from the blonde, her attention settling on Touma. Her grimace instantly turned into a smile. Yep, she was smitten with the big guy.

I looked between the two and rolled my eyes. _Teenagers._

She left my side and pushed passed Akiko's outstretched arms to which he swore quite vulgarly and sat down on the other side of Kaito on the log. Healing the blonde boys leg was great front for getting closer to her crush.

"Hey," Sora spoke softly, and then gripped me by the inner elbow, tugging me aside now that the others were distracted.

I arched a brow, allowing him to pull me away from the group, though very curious as to why. When we were sufficiently far enough away from the others, apparently, he released my arm and replaced the touch by putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Are you okay?" With scrutiny, he eyed me slowly up and down.

What an odd thing to ask. Did I appear to have been injured in a fight? I supposed my appearance was a little out of sorts. My clothes were still drenched from the rain, clinging to my skin, and my hair had fallen flat sprinkling droplets of water onto my face and cheeks. I could feel each and every drip. But that was it, no cuts, no bruises… I didn't feel any soreness.

"Yes, I am… Just a little… wet."

"Hmmm," He arched a brow, seemingly skeptical with my response, "You sure?" He asked again, lifting one hand off my shoulder and brushing aside a lock of wet hair that had been sticking to my cheek, his long fingers gently grazed my skin.

 _Awkward. Okay._ My face instantly warmed.

He offered me a crooked grin, "And… you were on your way to the tower?"

I wriggled free from his grasp and casually strolled back towards the warmth of the fire. I was getting cold now that I had stopped moving. And frankly, his stare unsettled me, "Yes, we too have both scrolls. We were going to rest for the night and continue on in the morning."

"I see," He followed closely behind, dropping down to sit next to me when I made a place for myself against a large rock - close enough to the fire that I might be able to dry off a bit and stay warm. "Maybe we can go together?" He suggested.

I dragged my knees up towards my chest and wrapped my arms around them. "You mean all of us." I replied, staring into the flames.

He laughed lightly, "That is what I meant."

"Yeah. We can do that."

"Kimimaro?"

"Mmm?" I turned my head just slightly to look at him.

"You're shivering."

"Oh," I guess I was. The cold was catching up on me, I hugged my legs tighter, "I'm fine."

Sora snorted, "Tough guy," He didn't buy my rugged act, "Here," He shifted closer to me until our sides were touching and then, tentatively, placed his arm around my shoulders so we could share our bodies natural heat. He remained stock still, holding his breath while he gauged my reaction.

My back immediately stiffened. Admittedly, if he had tried this at any other given time, he likely would've ended up with a broken nose. I didn't like to be touched. And I was uncomfortable, but I was also very chilly, so the additional heat felt kind of nice.

I sighed softly and relaxed against him, "Thank you."

"That's what friends are for."

He was right. And Sora and his squad were being better than good friends to us Sand Genin. They didn't owe us anything, they could have turned their backs on us and I wouldn't have blamed them one bit for it. This was the Forest of Death, we were in the middle of an exam, supposed to be fighting for our lives. But they hadn't and running into their squad had saved our team a lot of time and trouble. We had a camp; warmth, food and even some added people security so we could all rest easy that night.

Actually, what I saw before me was a pretty amazing sight. Two squads, allied. Kaito and Akiko shared wrapped onigiri, passing it around the troupe and laughing when anyone failed to catch one of the rice balls that was thrown at them. Like old friends. Touma and Yumi compared Kunai and regaled tales of battles past. Sora was unusually quiet, though maybe he was just savouring the downtime after a day of chaos and bad weather - before we had to face it all again the very next day.

I yawned. The flames of the fire danced across my vision and the warmth of the blaze lured me to slumber. I was actually comfortable now. My eyes began to drift closed and though I tried to fight off sleep I could feel myself relaxing further into Sora's hold - completely safe and secure there.

I would rest well that night.


	10. The Centre Of It All

_**Hi everyone! LL Here, I know it's been a long time coming so I hope you are ready for some action! This is my first attempt at writing real fighting so any feedback - constructive please - is welcomed. Enjoy!**_

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 **IX - The Centre Of It All**

There was sunlight on my face. I could feel the warmth of the rays against my eyelids, and in the distance the faint sounds of birds chirping, announcing the beginning of a new day.

I began to stretch out, nuzzling further into the comfortable existence that I had created for myself while I slept, not wanting to wake but also knowing it was time to rise and shine. It was day two of the exam, we had things to accomplish, a stage to complete.

There was a soft chuckle and a, "Good morning," right by my ear. My eyes fluttered open and I blinked through the haze of wakefulness; a little delirious at first, but then I came too. And it hit me.

Immediately, I sat up. My face warming with a red flush. I had been snuggling with Sora! _No. I was not a snuggler!_ I slapped my palms against my face, rubbing away any trace of embarrassment. If it were even possible to do so.

Sensing my discomfort over the whole matter, Sora withdrew his arm, releasing my shoulders, "Relax, no one is watching." He said yawning and lifting his arms above his head to pop out any kinks. No big deal.

A quick check, and he was right. The others were still out for the count. Sleeping blissfully. He must've been keeping watch.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you." I apologized, wondering if he was able to move a single muscle all night.

He waved it off, "All good, KK." He grinned and jumped to his feet.

I followed suit, letting that nickname of his for me slide just this once. After all, I had used him for a pillow all night.

"Hey, the rain has stopped." I said, more to myself than anyone. With my befuddled wake up, I hadn't paid much attention to the weather. But I was so glad the sun was out, and the skies were blue. It was a positive omen for the day to come.

"Wakey, wakey." Sora said nudging Touma with his foot and then tossing a small stick at Kaito.

They woke with a series of grunts and curses all directed at their teammate. The commotion also woke my squad, Akiko and Yumi coming around much slower however, but a lot less grumpily. They were used to my dawn wake up calls.

"The rain has gone children; the sun is out!" He sang, "Time to get going."

One corner of my mouth kicked up into an amused grin. I liked his enthusiasm.

It took a good part of an hour for us all to be up and awake; our bags were repacked, and we ate a light breakfast to prepare for the travel ahead. Then, we were ready to get going. Some of us were definitely more exuberant about the early start than others, but we did all agree that the weather was much more favorable. After all that rain, having the sun on our backs felt amazing. There were smiles all around, everyone eager to be moving ahead,

Up front, Sora lead the group through the treetops, setting the pace and directing our allied forces safely and soundly towards the centre of the arena. Behind him, came the designated pairs, or more so "of their own choosing" pairs. Touma and Yumi were next, followed by Kaito and Akiko. I took up the rear. And that formation seemed to work well for all of us, we were making great time, flying from branch to branch, the trees a blur of green as we rushed forward.

We were nearing the tower when Sora stopped, holding his balled fist up to bring us all to a halt. I could see the top of the red coloured tower in the distance, maybe a few kilometers away now.

"We're going to have to be very careful from this point onwards." He dictated, turning back to face the rest of us, "I've heard of squads being ambushed this close to the tower. Keep your guard up."

"Got it!"

"Right!

I lowered myself down into a crouch, taking a moment to catch my breath while the others did the same, preparing for the final stretch. Below us, a narrow flowing river wound through the trees, and a small group of deer had gathered to drink. It was quite picturesque, almost serene. But the rare moment of peace didn't last long. The deer startled, abruptly scattering into the forest in a rushed panic.

Odd.

I crept to the other side of the branch and peered down through the leaves. Nothing visibly present. But maybe they could hear us chatting up here in the trees? No, doubtful. I was behind the group and could only just make out what the others were saying. There was no way the deer could hear…

The sound of a kunai sliced through the air, followed by another, and then a third.

"Look out!" I shouted in warning and leapt from the branch. But I was a little too late. The kunai were rigged with paper bombs and exploded just before I jumped. I lost my footing and began to fall.

"KIMIMARO!"

Disorientated, but still sharp, I scrambled to retrieve a kunai from the holster on my thigh. I swung it towards where I thought the tree was, but I was surrounded by smoke and debris from the shattered branch, my vision was compromised and I couldn't get the sharp end of the kunai to connect with the trunk.

"Come on!" I growled out, until finally, I made contact.

The kunia ripped through the bark and my descent began to slow but gravity continued to pull me downwards. And then THUMP! I hit the ground hard. I flinched, the impact sending a searing pain up my left side. Yes, I had lessened the fall to a large extent by using the kunai as an anchor of sorts, but again, too little too late. I did count myself somewhat lucky, the fall could have been a lot worse had I not reacted in time.

Ignoring the throbbing ache in my ribs, I instantly sat up to take in a large breath, winded from the fall. I gasped for air. A distinct and intense pain stung my shoulder too, and a warm wet trickle of liquid was running down my tricep and dripping onto my thigh. Blood. Carefully, I twisted my arm to asses the damage, looking back over my shoulder.

"Damn it!" I groaned, frustrated at myself. One of the enemy kunai had hit me before I fell.

 _What was happening to me?_ I had allowed a group of deer to distract me from my mission, and now I was injured and alone. This wasn't like me. I was always observant, if anything overly observant and always guarded. I didn't like this new me.

I cursed under my breath. No, it wasn't the right to or place to berate myself, that could come later, but I did have to get the kunai out. I'd pull it out nice and quick. _Just like a bandaid. Yeah._

I exhaled a hard breath and braced myself before, "AHHHH!" I screamed out in pain as I yanked the knife from my body. More blood poured from the wound, dampening the sleeve of my tunic and then dribbled down my entire right side. "Shit!" Though I knew that I needed to stop the bleeding first aid had to wait. I could hear fighting above, getting closer, the sound of clinking weapons echoed from the treetops all the way down to ground level. It was only a matter of time before the fight reached me.

Covering my injured shoulder with the palm of my left hand I applied pressure in a vain attempt to control the flow of blood and then jumped back to my feet, grunting through the discomfort. I immediately took up a defensive pose, ready to face whatever enemy had attacked our group.

I scanned my immediate area, and from above spotted some movement. Someone shouted, and then a body came flying down towards me, one arm stretched out, kunai in front. With a perfectly timed pirouette, I dodged the assault while simultaneously striking the other shinobi with an instep roundhouse kick. I knocked them off balance and followed the kick with two hard palms, one relieving them of their weapon, the other sent the boy stumbling backwards.

We both skidded along the dirt as we separated and when I came to a stop I fell into a traditional kokutsu dachi fighting stance, on the offence.

"You are quick, kid. Even wounded." The boy remarked, flashing his teeth maliciously. He lifted his head, forehead protector gleaming in the sunlight. I recognized him immediately. He was a Genin from the Mist, and from the very same squad that had singled out our team prior to us entering the Forest of Death.

I narrowed my eyes, my fingers tightening around the hilt of the kunai that was still in my hand. It was the same one I had ripped from my shoulder, slippery with my own blood.

"But I am quicker!" He roared, darting towards me.

I tossed the Kunai at my target, he weaved, dodging it easily. But it was just enough of a distraction to allow me to focus my chakra. The palms of my hands came together forming the seal of the Dog, the Tiger, and the Snake - I followed it with the Dog, the Rat and finally the Snake one last time, "Earth Release: Flying Stones!" I slammed my hands to the ground.

A multitude of rock spears ascended from the earth and flew directly at the Mist Genin. There was a loud grunt as the projectiles hit their mark and the boy tumbled backwards, caught off guard by the Jutsu.

"Not so quick now," I grinned, and without hesitation I continued my offense.

Sprinting towards the fallen Genin, I drew two kunai out from my holsters, prepared for some close range combat now that the opportunity had presented itself. The Mist Genin growled loudly, and jumped back to his feet, bloody, as I met him head on. He immediately put his arms up, crossing them in defence and blocking my kunai from a damaging strike. The sharp points only grazed his forearms as we collided and we instantly sprung away from each other.

"Leave now, while you can!" I sneered before landing skillfully back on my feet.

"Not a chance," He hissed in response.

"What do you want from us?"

"Just measuring up the competition, kid. I have to say, not disappointed." He turned his head and spat, spittle and blood, before bringing his hands together to form a Jutsu.

 _Oh hell no you don't._ I growled internally and didn't wait for the seals to be finished. I attacked once again, sending a kunai forward ahead of me as a ran towards him. Again, he dodged the first, but a second knife followed just as quickly and embedded itself into his forearm. He had, unfortunately, managed to complete his Jutsu and a powerful torrent of water rushed at me.

"KIMIMARO! GET DOWN!"

Already one step ahead of the warning, I hit the deck.

Seconds later there was a blaze of orange light, and an intense heat covered me. I lifted my head, jaw dropping open as a great fireball soared above my flattened body and connected with the powerful stream of water. The Jutsu's cancelled each other out, fizzling into steam. _Sora._

The disturbance gave me an opening, an opportunity to take out my opponent. I immediately jumped to my feet and began to run towards the dazed Mist Genin, my hands moving almost in volition. Snake. Ram. Dog. Rat. Snake. Tiger. I leapt towards my enemy, "Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique!" With my arm encased in rock, I delivered a powerful, hardened punch. A loud clash filled the air and the boy howled in pain, shooting backwards from the force of the impact.

Trees cracked and fell as he disappeared into the forest - out of sight - leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.


	11. Fast Action, Slow Burn

**X - Fast Action, Slow Burn**

The silence was almost deafening. The small clearing, once a battlefield, was now empty. Everything had started so quickly and ended just as fast.

I blinked once through blurred vision, the entire world in front of me a wavy haze. _No, that wasn't right._ I knew I had lost too much blood, and was still losing blood, but I would be alright. My injuries were not life threatening. The kunai wound combined with my chakra release was just take its toll on my body. I need a minute to regroup.

I closed my eyes to ground myself and to avoid toppling over because the threat of falling down was all too real in that moment. I took a deep breath and when I opened my eyes, the world looked normal again. _Phew_. But my equilibrium was still a tad off. I doubled over, my breaths coming hard and shallow and fast as I steadied myself.

This was not the time to pass out. I needed to find my squad. I needed to know they were okay before I would give in and allow my body the rest that it was desperately seeking. The healing process could wait, willpower would win. I let out a frustrated yet determined groan and straightened my back, shaking off the dizzying feeling and ready to face my next obstacle. Regardless of the condition I was in. I started to walk.

"KIMIMARO!"

Fast footsteps approached, and Sora skidded to a stop at my side, he carefully placed a hand at the small of my back, his fingers knotting into my tunic. "Are you okay?"

I nodded my head, knowing very well he could see otherwise, and I turned to look at him, my concern for my comrades outweighing my own welfare. I continued walking forward, "Where are the others?" I stammered.

"Yumi is helping Kaito. Touma's with her. I…" He swallowed, "I don't know where Akiko is."

 _Shit._ "And you? Are you hurt?" I asked him.

"Forget about me. You're… bleeding out. Kimimaro, you need to sit down."

"No!" I pushed him away, staggering a few feet but keeping myself upright, "We have to find my brother."

Sora cursed under his breath and quickly caught up to me, grabbing my arm forcefully, "Stop being a stubborn asshole! Look at you, you can barely walk." He turned my back around to face him, his eyes shining with worry, "I'll find Akiko… just… Please." He begged.

I was just about to berate my new friend for the sheer nerve of his demand when there was a gentle thud and then a voice interrupting our little feud, "Cut it out! I'm here," Akiko appeared right in front of us, his face a twisted scowl.

Speak of the devil.

I blew out a hard breath. So thankful to see him. And uninjured. "Akiko."

His eyes instantly widened, face paling, "Fuck. Kimimaro! What happened? Are you okay?"

"The paper bomb, when I fell… a kunai," Exhausted, I finally slumped down to the ground, Sora scrambled to support me, crouching down low into a squat. I cradled my face in my hands, nursing the nagging throb in my temples; my heart also beat at an alarming rate.

Akiko dropped to his knees, touching one of my hands until I drew it away. The look on his face said it all, I was not okay. I had never seen Akiko so… troubled, "Sora. Go get Yumi. Now."

Sora hesitated, only slightly. "Right," He swept the palm of his hand along my arm and up over my uninjured shoulder before giving it a light squeeze, "She's not far," In a flash, he disappeared.

Akiko's next movements were frantic. He unzipped his backpack and began to dig around inside until he found his water canteen. A first aid kit followed. He placed them down on the ground beside us and then shifted a little closer to me.

"I need to look, okay?" His voice trembled ever so slightly as he lifted one of his hands and took a hold of the zipper on the front of my tunic. I nodded my permission and then he unzipped me, just far enough that he could carefully peel the bloodied material off my shoulder and down on one side.

He swallowed hard but did not falter in his task, like a real professional, he found a gauze pad from within his first aid kit that was large enough to cover my mound and to absorb some of the excess blood and immediately pressed it against my shoulder, applying hard pressure to stop the bleeding, or to at least slow it down some.

"I'm sure it looks a lot worse than it is." I murmured, trying to reassure him. Yeah, I was covered in my own blood, and that wasn't a good sign, but Yumi should have no trouble sealing the entry site with her medical ninjutsu.

"It's deep but It's a clean cut." Akiko said, "You're lucky it didn't hit anything vital"

"What happened to the Mist squad?" I asked, trying to divert the attention away from my injury and onto more important matters. Aftercall, just because we all put up a fight, it didn't mean they would not return. We couldn't let our guard down yet.

Akiko sighed, "After realizing they were outnumbered and out-skilled, two fled. I went after them but… they got away." Akiko explained, seemingly disappointed with himself.

I nodded.

Akiko's gaze drifted over to the devastated treeline where the Mist Genin I had fought had disappeared, "Did you leave one alive?"

"I don't know."

He didn't say anything further. He didn't need too. Like him, I was just as anxious to know if I had killed the Mist Genin. Even though we were technically enemies, I still prayed for him to be alive. I didn't want to be _that_ Genin… the one who killed another Genin in the Chuunin exams. I was already an outcast, a misfit. I didn't need that added to my name.

There was some commotion in the trees nearby before the rest of our forces arrived, each shinobi landing expertly on their feet in the clearing. They rushed closer, silent with concern. Except of Yumi, of course, who was as vocal as ever.

"Little Brother!" She trembled, all but knocking Akiko aside as she took his place in front of me. "I'm so sorry," She muttered to herself as she removed the gauze, so she could assess the damage for herself. "We should've been there for you."

"Don't. You don't need to apologize." I sighed. I was tired, too tired to acknowledge her beyond that, or to reassure and comfort her any further. I swayed a little as my eyes began to droop.

"It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay. Hold still," She said focusing on her task immediately.

I tried my best to remain upright, but I could feel myself toppling to the side. A pair of strong arms caught me before I hit the dirt. Akiko. Still half-conscious, I could feel Yumi begin the process of sealing my wound. Her hands radiated a luminous warmth that sent a tingle of pain down my right arm until I could feel it in the tips of my fingers.

It was oddly comforting.


	12. Success and Stages

**XI – Success and Stages**

Movement woke me. Momentum. I was mobile and moving forward without walking.

What a weird sensation.

I blinked a few times before fully opening my eyes and was met by the sight of my comrades all walking subduedly up ahead of me. There was Sora and Kaito, and Yumi and Akiko; they talked amongst each other in quiet, hushed tones.

To my astonishment, and solving the mystery of my motion, Touma was carrying me on his back, piggyback style. And it seemed to have no bearing on the big guy physically at all, like I weighed nothing more than the pack he usually carried. I knew I was small, but I was still mortified. I was a Shinobi! I didn't need to be carried, I could walk on my own two damn feet.

"Touma," I muttered quietly, trying to avoid the scrutiny of the others now that I had returned from unconsciousness.

He turned his head slightly and murmured a gruff, "Hmm?"

"I appreciate the ride, but can you please put me down now." I requested, my cheeks warming with an embarrassed flush.

He snorted an amused laugh, but continued walking, "You sure you're ready for that?"

"Absolutely," I responded without a hint of doubt, "Never felt better." I needed to get down.

He finally stopped and carefully released my legs, crouching just a little lower so my feet could touch ground before I unwound my arms from his shoulders. He immediately turned around to face me, hands hovering just out of reach, prepared to catch me in case I started to fall.

And I did wobble but managed to stay upright. Thankfully.

"I'm good, thanks."

Again, Touma grunted roughly and it drew the attention of our squad mates. They seemed surprised that I was awake, though happy about it, and they backtracked their steps until joining up with me and Touma behind.

"You look better, KK," Sora said, giving my uninjured shoulder a friendly bump with his closed fist.

"He's lying, you look like shit," Akiko joked, eyeing me down and then up again, features of disgust planted firmly on his face.

I narrowed my eyes but followed his gaze. He wasn't wrong, I was disheveled; my usually pristine soft lavender coloured tunic was now marred with bloodied stains, and I could feel that sections of my hair were matted with drying blood.

"Ignore them," Yumi instantly took me into her arms, hugging me tightly and holding on - for a second or two too long - before letting me go once again. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"We are close to the tower." I exclaimed, directing the attention away from me and towards our destination instead. I could see it now. I must not have been out for long.

At the mention of the tower, and without further discussion, our squads set off again, moving forward as one allied group. The Sand and The Leaf.

Sora hung back to walk with me, his hands held firmly onto each strap of his backpack, his elbows out. As cool and as casual as ever.

"So…" He started.

"So," I repeated, giving him a sideways glance.

"You're really okay?" He asked, brow pinching together. "You have a little…" He said, lifting his hand to brush some matted strands of hair away from my cheek, the pad of his thumb gently caressed my cheek.

I retracted from his touch, uncomfortable with him fussing over me, "I am okay. Really."

Silence settled over us. I wasn't great at making small talk, so it suited me just fine. Sora, however, looked like he was eager to chat.

"That was all pretty crazy, huh?" He said through an awkward laugh.

I nodded my head, thinking crazy was not exactly the right word for the small battle between us and The Mist Genin… but it still worked. "Yeah." I simply agreed.

"Those were some impressive moves back there, KK. Kind of have me worried about the next stage." Sora bantered, grinning the whole while, "But I'm looking forward to going up against you one-on-one. It'll be a great challenge."

That was quite a compliment coming from Sora Uchiha. Simply for the fact that he was a Uchiha, there was never a lack of talent among that clan, their skills and reputations were legendary. I smiled, but kept my chin down, my face partially hidden from his view, "Don't worry, I won't go easy on you."

Sora laughed and bumped his shoulder gently against mine, "I wouldn't expect anything less, KK."

Our squads walked in relative silence for the remainder of the way, all six of us unusually quiet. Maybe it was from exhaustion and from hunger, we were tired and dirty and had had enough of the Forest of Death - itching to get out. Me especially. I was still covered it my own blood. Yumi had cleaned off what she could but there were some areas that required a hot shower or a real bath to get that grime out.

We pushed through a thicket of bushes that took us up a small incline, at the top there was a small clearing that lead us right towards the tower, our final goal. I swore at that moment, the sun shone just a little bit brighter; sharp rays illuminating the main doors as if inviting us inside.

Akiko and Kaito shared an enthusiastic high five, Touma and Yumi a quick hug, congratulating each other, and Sora put his arm around my neck, dragging me into his side for a kind of sideways type hug. Thing.

We both walked forward, the others following in our wake.

Inside, it was quiet. Besides our squads there was not another soul in sight. But that was to be expected, we all knew what we had to do next. To truly bring this stage of the exam to an end and before we could join civilization again we needed to open and read the scrolls.

"Well, it's been fun Sand Children," Sora said, backing away from me.

"Let's not to do this again sometime." I replied, returning his smile.

We split into our two separate squads, conversing on opposites sides of the room before we turned our attention to our scrolls.

Our squad huddled together. Akiko gave one of the scrolls to Yumi, Heaven, and kept the other for himself to open, Earth.

"This is it," He said.

"Yes!" Yumi exclaimed, thrilled.

"Let's do it," I added and placed one hand on each of their shoulders.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Sora, Touma, and Kaito's Sensei, Gin, appear. Their celebration began immediately. And then, it was our time. Simultaneously, Akiko and Yumi unrolled their scrolls, and not a second later Hiroka-Sensei also appeared, grinning like a fiend.

"I knew you could do it!" He gathered us all up in his strong arms, hugging us tightly, "I'm so proud of you."

I flinched and exhaled a small hiss of pain. My shoulder was healed but still very tender, and I had some extensive bruising on my rib cage that did not appreciate the touching and the squeezing.

Hiroka instantly let us go and focused his attention on me with a look of absolute horror.

"Kimimaro," Careful not to touch me too hard again he, placed his hand on my uninjured shoulder and quickly scanned my physical appearance, "Are you okay? Do you need a medic?"

I shook my head, "No. I'm… i'm fine. Just a little kunai wound."

"And a lot of blood." He threw in, his face twisting, "Are you sure you are alright?"

"Yes. Yumi healed me. I'm alright."

That satisfied him, thankfully. Again, I did not need people making a fuss over me.

"Good. Unfortunately, there is no time to rest." Hiroka said, "The exam is officially finished now that our team and the Leaf squad have arrived. A team from the Mist came in just a few hours before you. So that's it. No more scrolls. No more squads." He explained.

I gritted my teeth at the mention of the Mist, Akiko added in a growl of his own.

"Which one?" Yumi fumed.

"Two-man, one girl squad. Though, one of the boys is severely injured." Hiroka mentioned, giving each of us a quick scrutinizing look. "Your irritation suggests this was your three's doing?" He questioned, one brow raised.

"You fucking bet we are!" Akiko piped in, promptly giving me a supportive pat on the back.

"Language!" Hiroka scolded him, "Kimimaro?"

"He will live?" I asked.

"Yes."

I blew out a hard breath. "I did it. Yes." I had promised him that I wouldn't kill anyone, and I almost failed so I was glad to hear the Genin would recover.

Hiroka smiled, though it was so subtle. Blink and I would've missed it.

"So, what now?" Yumi inquired.

"The proctor of the final exam is waiting for us in a room upstairs." Hiroka explained, "We'll be given more information on what happens next. Come on."

I noticed the Leaf squad had already left the room before we began to ascend the stairs, but about halfway up, loud voices could be heard, angry loud voices. One of them was Sora, the other I did not recognize. Our team shared curious glances and then rushed to the next storey, skidding to a halt at the door way.

Sora had engaged with one of the Mist Genin, and each boy was being held back by their respective Sensei's who were desperately trying to quell their anger and keep them apart.

 _What had happened?_

The Chuunin Exam Proctor, Shikamaru Nara, only watched on - seemingly disinterested with the sudden childish behaviour while waiting for our team to arrive so he could get on with business. He wasn't going to step in unless absolutely necessary. And no one was fighting yet.

We entered the room and the animosity died down. Just a little, every single person turned their heads in our direction.

"Well this is awkward…" Yumi murmured, only loud enough that Hiroka, Akiko and myself to hear.

The brief interlude of rage ended, and Sora spat at the male Mist Genin causing the other to retaliate once again. They fumed at each other, a lot of crude words thrown around. They were not done yet.

"Cowards!" Sora yelled, "Next time don't run away so we can finish the job." He abruptly shot a look in my direction, his grin as cocky as always, "Right, Kimimaro?"

My brow furrowed, now was not that time to be doing this. Even if I agreed with my friend.

"Oh, I won't run away next time. I'll kill that little punk for what he did to Yuuto!"

" _WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"_ That really struck a chord within me. They had ambushed us! I was just defending myself, we all were. The nerve. I took an angry step forward only to be stopped by Hiroka's hand gripping the back of my tunic. I struggled, he held on tighter.

"No, you don't," He said, "You're not getting involved."

I growled out in response.

"OKAY. THAT IS ENOUGH!" Shikamaru finally shouted, "You two, back away from each other now! Everyone else, settle down!"

Hiroka dragged me backwards and our squad took up an empty space by the entryway, away from everyone else. I needed to calm down. Snapping like that, it was not like me. I never let things get to me or allowed myself to lose control, and now I could feel my curse mark at the base of my throat tingling with heat. _"No."_ My Shikotsumyaku rearing its ugly head right at that moment would be less than helpful, my curse was even harder to control.

I took a deep breath in and then exhaled before lowering myself down into a crouch to gather my emotions, my clasped hands coming to rest under my chin. Just like Hiroka had taught me, I closed my eyes and counted to ten. A gentle hand came down against the top of my head, petting over my hair to comfort me. _Sensei._

"You're okay. Breathe." Hiroka instructed.

"There is a lot of passion in this room, I see." Shikamaru shouted, gaining the full attention of everyone, "Good. Use can use it in the next stage. Congratulations, Genin. You will all be moving on to the finals."

There were whispers among the room. Usually, the successful Genin from stage two were thinned out a little before the third and final stage. However, this year, it was already a small enough group. But how would it work? We were an uneven number...

Shikamaru addressed the chatter immediately, "Due to injuries, one Genin from the Mist has dropped out. There is no need for the preliminary round." He paced slowly around the room. "I'll be coming around with this basket. Inside, there are eight slips of paper with a number on each. Take one. You're matching number is the Genin you will be fighting in the first round. It also determines the order of the battles."

" _This should be interesting."_ I thought as Shikamaru began circling the room. Everyone went dead quiet, all of us anxious to know who we would be going up against first.

When it came to my turn, Shikamaru stopped in front of me, eyeing me with interest. "Kimimaro Kaguya." One corner of his mouth kicked up into a slight grin.

"Yes, sir."

He remained silently regarding me, then, "Take a number, son."

I returned his look of curiosity and retrieved a square of paper before he moved on.

Number two.

" _Who was my opponent?"_ I thought, scanning the room. To my left, Sora gave me a small wave to get my attention and then subtly held out four fingers to indicate what number he received.

I shook my head and mimicked his gesture, popping down two of my own fingers. I didn't necessarily have a preference on who I did or did not want to fight in the first round, but I was thankful it was not him.

"Okay. Let's begin." Shikamaru said now that all eight of us Genin had our numbers.

"Number one?"

Yumi raised her hand and then from across the room the remaining male Genin from the Mist also lifted his arm.

"Excellent. Battle Number one. Yumi Ishii and Tachi Kobayashi." There was a quick pause while Shikamaru scribbled in his notebook, "Number two?"

Again, I surveyed the room. It looked like whoever held the other number two slip of paper was doing the same as I was - waiting for the other to announce themselves. I finally raised my hand, and simultaneously, Touma lifted his meaty paw.

" _Oh shit."_

The big guy grinned at me.

"Interesting." Shikamaru said whilst chuckling under his breath. I understood why. And I was sure everyone else in the room was thinking the same thing, about the obvious size difference between me and Touma. I was, however, a little miffed by the initial judgement from the others. Both Touma and I knew that size did not matter here.

"Battle two. Kimimaro Kaguya and Touma Sato."

Battle three was announced, "Akiko Okamoto and Kaito Takahashi." Both boys cheered quite obscenely with excitement. That was a perfect match.

"And that leaves Sora Uchiha and Chiho Yamamoto. Battle number four."

Shikamaru snapped his notebook closed. Everything was set and done. "The finals will be held a week from today. I suggest you use the time productively. Train hard and rest well. And most importantly, get to know your opponent. Your Village Leaders and the Fuedal Lords expect the very best from you Genin. Good luck."


	13. Go It Alone?

**Chapter XII - Go It Alone?**

With plenty of abnormal amounts of rest and relaxation prescribed by my attentive teammates and sensei, it had taken me two whole days to fully recover from my time in The Forest of Death.

Of course, I had made a fairly compelling appeal against taking some time off from training, considering the next stage of the Chunin exams was in just a short weeks time, but it was met with an equal amount of contention. They were not going to give in. No training, just rest. Settled.

I knew when to admit defeat. Yumi, Akiko and Hiroka had clearly been firm about the whole take-it-easy spiel so R&R is exactly what I did. I slept on and off for those two days, still rising early each morning to appreciate the quiet and rare moment of solitude the early hours offered me, before the rest of the world woke too, and then I spent the remainder of the day with Hiroka-Sensei, discussing and strategizing for the upcoming final Chunin exams - between my broken rest periods and frequent small meals.

Admittedly, the down-time had been beneficial for my health, and essential for my body to heal properly. I felt better than ever.

On the third day, it was time to get back to work. I had plans already laid out and I couldn't afford to stall any longer. I would be leaving the Hidden Leaf Village for a couple of days. Alone. A personal mission that was years in the making; a journey to find a mysterious cache left by my Mother in an undisclosed location - with only a roughly drawn and vague map being my guide.

I hadn't slept much the night before. I was too anxious, and my body and mind was thrumming with an energized excitement for the quest I was about to undertake. So much so that I just couldn't get to sleep. I thought about my Mother and what it was that she could have possibly hidden and why she had hidden it in the first place. There were so many unknowns. And the most baffling, why she had not told me about it before she passed away - instead leaving me to discover unintentionally.

But I didn't have to wonder or ponder on those thoughts any longer, I would find out soon enough.

I got out of bed before the sun rose, eager to get my day started and immediately changed into my usual, and traditional, Oto-nin ensemble before I re-checked my already packed bag for the supplies I would need to get me through the next two days. All that I required - food, clothing, weapons - was exactly as I left it the night before.

I was ready.

There was a light rapping on the frame of the bedroom door. Hiroka-Sensei. It had to be. He was the only one I had made privy to my plans and knew I would leave before everyone else woke up and questioned me. Knowing Yumi and Akiko, they would've had insisted they came along, even if I did not want their company. I felt kind of bad about leaving them in the dark, but it was necessary.

"Kimimaro, are you decent?" Hiroka asked.

"Not morally, but I am wearing pants if that's what you are asking." I replied.

The panel of the room slid open revealing a chuckling Hiroka. His laugh quickly turned into a yawn. It was too early for him to be awake. "You ready, kid?"

"I am," I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"Very sure. I need to do this by myself."

"Yes… I know." He sighed, "I just… I worry about letting you go out there alone. The Land of Fire is foreign to you. And as your Sensei, I really shouldn't be allowing this. If Lord Gaara..."

My lips straightened into a tight line, I knew he meant well but I had assured him many times over that I could do this, that I wanted to do this, that I wasn't a child any longer, that I was capable. And I certainly could defend myself _if_ I ran into any trouble - which was highly unlikely. Since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War, all five nations were at peace. I was not concerned about venturing out alone.

"Lord Gaara will never know." I moved passed him and out of the room, he followed close behind, "And I'll be back before sun down tomorrow as promised."

Hiroka nodded as we left out temporary Village accommodations, the cool Spring air hit our faces and Hiroka instantly perked up, his drowsiness fading, "If you're not back by then, i'm sending out a search party." He said with a smirk. He was only half joking.

I grinned, amused at the thought. "Oh, I believe you."

We both stopped just outside the main gates, "So... " Hiroka started then placed one of his hands on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, "Stay safe out there. Back before sun down tomorrow." He said sternly.

I gave him a firm nod, "Yes, Hiroka-Sensei. And please apologize to Yumi and Akiko. I know they would not have accepted me venturing out alone." I took a few steps backwards.

"Of course. They will be disappointed but I'm sure they'll understand."

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You bet, kid." He responded, like a proud Father letting his son go out of his own for the first time. Which wasn't far from the truth.

I headed down the dirt path, checking over my shoulder as the main gates to the Hidden Leaf Village became smaller the further I walked. I could still see Hiroka, he remained at the entrance. watching me off. I gave him a high wave to which he returned before I disappeared from his line of sight.

And then, I was alone. Only the sounds of my light footsteps on the dirt path and the happy chirping of the birds greeting the rising sun could be heard. It was nice. The peace and calm gave me an opportunity to clear my head and stop worrying about what I was to find at the end-of-the-line. All I had to do was concentrate on my destination and enjoy this rare and potentially life changing experience.

I had been walking for about an hour when I started to get this uneasy gut feeling. It wasn't necessarily bad but more so a feeling of caution - that someone was watching me, following me, observing me and they were trying to do it discreetly. Every now and then, the birds would stop their chatter, and I would hear sticks cracking as if being stepped on. The leaves on the trees above rustled even though the wind was light. Animals maybe? No, too quiet. Too careful.

I came to a sudden stop and subtly scanned my immediate area with a slow shift of my eyes from left to right. I tilted my head slightly from one side to the other listening for anything unusual. There was someone out there. I could sense them even though they were doing a very decent job of keeping themselves hidden.

With an agile flick of my hand, I retrieved a kunai from the holster on my right thigh and readied it. Listening, watching, waiting.

Not a moment later, a shadowy figure emerged from the trees and landed deftly on the path in front of me with a gentle thud.

"Sora!" I growled and tucked my kunai away, the threat over. "What the hell?"

"Surprise!" He laughed somewhat nervously.

"Are you stalking me?" I asked, one brow arched.

"What? Nooooo." He replied, his grin as cocky as ever.

I folded my arms neatly across my chest, "You just happened to be on this same path, this early in the morning, and this far away from the Village?"

"Okay, okay," He laughed and held up his hands, palms facing me, "I saw you and Hiroka this morning at the main gates. When you left by yourself, I got curious."

"Oh, you just saw us? And you were awake at four in the morning too?" I said, skeptical, "What a coincidence." I gave him a look and then continued walking, I was on a tight schedule.

"Yes. Well technically, I hadn't gone to bed yet." He explained keeping pace at my side.

"Uhuh."

"Honestly? I wasn't expecting you to stray this far from the Village. Figured, I'd see it out." He sniffled, "So, where are you going, KK?" He asked.

My brow furrowed. I was reluctant to tell him where and why. I wasn't sure why exactly but maybe I was a little annoyed that my personal mission had been exposed and that I now had a companion when all I had wanted was to be alone, to do this alone.

"You're not going to tell me?" He added, dumbfounded by the notion of my secrecy, "Oooh, is it some top-secret mission for The Sand?" He said rather animatedly, "Going to a good fight?"

"No." I shook my head but didn't slow down when he stopped to think and to try and figure out what I was doing out there by myself.

He jogged back to my side, "Is everything okay?" He asked, in all seriousness now. I suppose he could sense my agitation. He reached out and gripped my forearm stopping me from moving further forward. His large brown eyes searching my own green ones for any kind of sign that would tip him off to what I was doing and where I was going, "Kimimaro? You're not leaving now are you? Tell me you're not going back to Suna without saying goodbye. You are so close to the final exams…"

And dammit, the boy looked hurt. Like genuinely hurt over the idea that I would leave without seeing him first and saying my farewells. He seemed almost desperate.

"I'm not going home, Sora." I sighed and scrubbed a hand roughly over my face, "I wouldn't miss the final exam."

"Phew. Thank the Gods. That's good. Great. I would miss you." He smiled and released my arm when he knew I wouldn't try and escape from him, "Tell me where you are going then. Please? What are you doing out here by yourself?"

"I'm going on a personal mission," I blurted, feeling like I owed him an explanation. I didn't but how could I not tell him when he looked at me with so much… hurt and rejection.

"A personal mission?"

"Yes." I nodded, "Here." From within a second holster on my left thigh, I pulled out a photograph and hesitantly handed it to Sora. "That is the only photo I have of me and my Mother. Be careful."

"Wow. You were a cute kid, KK. And your mother, she was beautiful. I see where you get your good looks from." He said grinning.

I snorted a laugh, "Actually, everyone that knew my father say I am spitting image of him. I don't think I inherited much from her."

"Mm. Debatable." He gave me a quizzical look. "So how does this relate to your mission?"

"Turn it over," I directed and started to walk again. Much more slowly now. We strolled casually along the path together.

Sora flipped the photo and squinted his eyes at the scratchy diagram, "This looks like a map."

"It is." I concurred, "My mother kept this photo in a frame on her nightstand. I never thought anything of it beyond being just a picture."

"What made you look more closely at it?" Sora asked.

"An accident. Long story" I said.

"I have time."

Again, I was hesitant, but he seemed determined to keep pace with me. He wasn't leaving anytime soon, and seemed interested…

"After my mother passed away, I refused to go into her room. For some time. A year or so passed and I still hadn't opened her bedroom door. Not once. It hurt too much. I thought that if I kept that door shut, and her things just as she left them, well she could still be there. Opening that door would mean facing the reality that she was really gone. I hadn't been ready to admit that she was dead. Which is crazy, I know."

Sora shook his head, "That's not crazy, KK. You were just a kid." He consoled me, "What happened next?"

"One day, I just… I decided it was time. I needed to find some closure. I missed her so much, but I couldn't keep avoiding her room. She was gone, and I thought a little reminder of her would help me. So, I worked up some courage, and a few days later I went inside. Immediately that photo caught my eye. And I knew that's what I wanted from that room, that photo was it. But I was too hasty, from the adrenaline of being in her room again. My heart was beating so fast. I wanted to get in and out. So, I rushed to get the picture and I knocked it down in the process. I was so mad at myself, Sora. So mad. I broke the glass, and the wooden frame cracked. But thankfully, I did not damage the photo. I carefully removed it from the frame and I don't know why, but something compelled me too, so I turned it over. That's when I found this drawing. I knew it was a map but had no clue of what and where and why my Mother never told me about it. I tried to figure it out myself. I researched for weeks, months. But I couldn't decipher it. I decided to show it to Lord Gaara in hopes he could help. He recognized some of the land features in the drawing almost immediately and pointed me in the right direction."

"Huh. Unbelievable." Sora muttered, "This is definitely in the Land of Fire. I recognize the shape of that small mountain range, and the lake in front. It is a half days travel on foot from here. To the North West" He explained, "Kimimaro, why would your Mother draw this? What is there? And what is this in the bottom corner?"

"I don't know what it is or what I am going to discover there. Or why she didn't tell me about it before she died. But my Mother is from Konoha. Born and raised, so I can only speculate that it is something valuable to her, maybe from the time that she lived in the Leaf Village."

"Really?" Sora said extremely surprised and handed the photo back to me, "You're half one of us?" He joked.

"Yes." I let out a soft chuckle, "She…" I dropped my chin looking solemnly down at the photo, "Neither my Father or Mother came from Suna originally. My dad was from Otogakure. They both became rogue shinobi and joined Lord Orochimaru denouncing their homelands. After my father died, me and my mother fled to Suna. I guess she didn't think she would be welcomed back to the Leaf Village."

We walked silently for a few yards, before Sora spoke again, "I understand now."

"I have waited years for this, Sora. I was too young to travel alone so I vowed that I would find this place at the very first opportunity I had. And I knew I would be coming to Konoha for the Chunin exams. So, I planned it all out. Only Hiroka knew about this."

"I see." Sora nodded his head slowly.

Again, silence settled over us, but we continued walking.

"Sora, we're quite far from the Village now." I said, stopping suddenly, "You... you should turn back..."

He tucked his hands into the pockets of his loose black pants and kicked absently at a small rock in the middle of the path, "Kimimaro? I know you want to do this alone. And I get it. I do. But…" He stammered without looking over at me, "How would you feel if I came along with you?"

I sighed and looked North West to my destination and then back East to the Leaf Village. He was right, I did want to do this alone, I had always planned on doing this by myself, but for whatever reason, the idea of having Sora as a companion didn't sound as objectionable as having Yumi or Akiko with me did. And mostly because my squad mates treated me like their little brother, like I was just a kid, whereas Sora respected me as an equal, Shinobi and friend. And now, well Sora knew everything.

"Errr… I'm going to be away for two days. You can't just leave without anyone knowing where you are. I don't want to be blamed for mass panic in the Uchiha Clan when their prodigal son goes missing. And you have nothing with you, no change of clothes, supplies…"

He interrupted me with a hopeful grin, "So I'll go back and tell them. And grab some stuff. I want to go with you."

"Shouldn't you be training for the final exams or something?" I said, another attempt to get him to back out on his own.

"Yes. And you should be too."

"Touché."

"Come on, KK. let's do this. Me and you."

I exhaled a long drawn out groan, "Okay. Fine." I conceded, "But I'm not waiting for you." I added with a grin and then continued down the path - putting some space between me and Sora.

"I'll catch up, you better believe it!"


	14. What To expect

**XIII - What to Expect**

Two hours passed since Sora and I had parted ways and I began to wonder if my friend had changed his mind about accompanying me on my personal mission to retrieve my Mother's mysterious cache.

To say that I was not a little disappointed would have been a lie. I had originally intended, and wanted, to take this journey alone, yet Sora had convinced me to let him tag along, that it was a good friendship type bonding experience. Of course, I had fallen for it and was now looking forward to sharing the time with him.

Though, admittedly, if it were the case that he had had second thoughts, well I couldn't really blame him for it. This was my journey, my pilgrimage, it held no significance to him, there were no stakes in the end game and he could pass if that's what he chose to do.

As I walked on alone I began to ruminate and overthink things. There could be another explanation for his absence. Like, maybe the head of the Uchiha Clan caught wind of his plans and forbid him to come with me. That was possible. He was supposed to be preparing himself for the final Chunin Exam, training and studying his opponents, not gallivanting through the Forest with his friend. I pondered on that thought for awhile. Yes, it was indeed possible, but knowing Sora, he would have been able to charm his way around that.

My second and more worrisome speculation was that he had run into some trouble on his way back to me. _"No."_ I couldn't think like that. Konoha was safe, peaceful. And he was a Uchiha. He could handle anything that came his way.

Regardless of the scenario, or how much it bothered me that I had yet to see him again, I wasn't going to turn back. This was my chance, my only opportunity to find closure. So, I travelled onwards without my friend.

Of course, I had been completely wrong about Sora. It was about midday when he reappeared, huffing and puffing from the effort of catching up with me. He collapsed dramatically at my feet, held up his index finger in a gesture that suggested he needed a moment and then retrieved his water canteen from his bag.

With just one breath, he chugged a large amount of water before capping his bottle and putting it away.

"I have never moved so fast in my life." He marvelled, seemingly quite proud of himself, then sat up and began rubbing his undoubtedly sore thighs, "How was my timing? Aren't you impressed?"

"Actually, I thought you had changed your mind," I answered with a hint of amusement

"What?!" He blew out a hard breath and crossed his arms over his chest in mock offence, "That had to be a record of some sort."

I chuckled. "Come on. Walking will stop you from cramping up." I offered him my hand, to help him up from the ground and he took it without hesitation, brushing the dirt from his clothes when he was back on his feet.

"We should start heading North soon." Sora advised as we continued on our way, "There should be a path that will take us in that direction not too far ahead."

I nodded my head in agreement, "Did you run into any trouble back in the Village?" I asked.

Sora shook his head, "No. I told my Dad I was going to do some long and strenuous training to prepare for the finals and he was _all_ for it," He winked and nudged my shoulder with his own.

I chuckled again, "We should be able to fit in some training, I know I will need to, so it's not a complete lie."

"Heh. Cool. Maybe we could do some sparring? And... I hope you don't mind but… I did tell the squad what I was actually doing out here… with you. Just in case. They'd definitely notice me missing for two days."

"Mm. I understand. Hiroka said he would send out a search party if I wasn't back before sundown tomorrow so we should be good."

"Ha! I believe it too. You're like his adorable little adoptive son," Sora snorted a laugh.

"Shut up!" I smirked and gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder.

As we walked, we made small talk. Well Sora did most of the chatting while I listened intently, as expected, but he always had a lot of interesting things to say. I asked him about his family - I learned he had a little sister - and he taught me about the history of the Uchiha Clan; the mass murder of their previous generation, their comeback and how so much had changed since then. He thought that, in a way, the Kaguya clan was like the Uchihas. I had never really thought about it, but I supposed he was right. And it gave me a glimmer of hope, that one day I could share a similar story of survival about my clan to future Kaguya's.

Lost in these stories and our general chatter, neither Sora or I had kept track of the hours that passed, or the distance that we had travelled. _Time flies when you're having fun._ Or something like that. We had almost made it to our final destination! The mountain range pictured in my Mother's drawing, Sora called them the Kona Ranges, loomed in the not too far distance.

"Lake Suwa should be just a little further North from here." Sora explained, "Show me your Mother's map again."

I took out the photo and we both studied the drawing. Sora rubbed his chin in thought.

"It looks like we need to be on the West side of the lake." I said pointing to a small X that was circled on the map.

"Yes, but I still don't know what this is." Sora said, referring to the second smaller drawing in the bottom corner. "Is this related? It looks like a tree. Kind of. More like a tree stump." He tilted his head as if the slight movement and different angle would help him figure it out.

"And those are flowers. Camellias I think. Maybe that's what I need to be looking for when we get to this… general area."

Sora agreed, and we moved on again. The chatting died down the closer we got to the lake. I was starting to get anxious and I was sure Sora could sense my distress. So instead of filling the air with more small talk, he simply took my hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"It's going to be okay."

And then to my confusion, he linked his fingers with mine. He offered me a reassuring grin as I looked down at our combined hands. It was both a peculiar and surprisingly comforting sensation. I had never held someone's hand before.

"I know." I smiled appreciatively up at him.

We reached the lake a half hour later and immediately I knew we were in the right place. I stopped suddenly, causing my companion to stumble a few steps backwards from my abrupt anchoring.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sora asked.

"Do you feel that?" A slight shiver travelled the length of my spine and the hairs on my arms stood on end.

"Feel what?" He gave me a puzzled look.

"Chakra."

"Really? There's no one else around. You sure?"

"I'm sure. It's… Come on." I released his hand and took off at a sprint. Sora tailed me, close on my heels as we veered off the main path and onto uncharted ground.

Lake Suwa was small, for a lake, and we navigated the South side quickly, expertly leaping between trees and traversing rocky outcrops until we pulled up on the Western bank where the Chakra energy seemed to be increasing in strength.

"I feel it now. It's so concentrated." Sora turned his head slowly from side to side, trying to decipher the energy and locate its position, "It's stationary… Kimimaro, do you think..."

My stomach immediately began to churn with butterflies. "Yes. This is my mother's doing. This is her chakra. I would recognize it anywhere." I swallowed hard, trying to settle the turbulence inside me but my heart only joined in on the anxiety party and it began beating faster and faster.

"Find the source of the chakra, find your mother's hidden… whatever it is." Sora added.

I closed my eyes and took a deep calming breath. It was here, I just needed to pinpoint the bearing. I cleared my mind and focused on the flow of energy that seemed to be reaching out to me, beckoning me.

My eyes snapped open. "This way!"

We both took off again.

I knew the very minute that I found the right location, my gaze zeroing in on a broken tree, it's stump was partially covered by the trunk where it had fallen, and the immediate area was scattered with white camellia bushes. Just like the drawing.

This was it!

The stump where the chakra energy seemed to be the strongest was solid all the way around, no hollows or holes where things could be easily hidden, and the ground was hard and covered with a fine layer of green moss at the roots. I lowered myself down into a squat and peaked into the small space where the trunk still connected with the stump. It was littered with a layer of decomposing foliage and loose leaves but among the debris there was something there, the corner of something just barely breached the surface of soil.

"Is that it?" Sora asked from behind me.

I nodded and looked back at him over my shoulder. "It has to be."

I carefully dropped down onto my knees and I brushed away the junk, until the dirt was exposed and there! The corner of a metal tin box was clearly visible. I sucked in a small breath, gasping with realization.

'I have found you."I whispered to myself, a small smile tugging at the corner on my lips.

Almost frantically, I dug around in the dirt to try and free the box from the ground. The soil was dense and moist, untouched for years, probably not disturbed since my mother was last there, but I was able to pull it free.

The box radiated energy, almost humming with it.

"What are you?" I muttered, turning the box from one side to the other. I could hear something, or somethings, moving around on the inside.

"What do you think is in there?" Sora asked peeking over my shoulder.

It was a fairly small container, maybe the size of a lunch-box, it couldn't hold much… And it was rusted all over. But luckily it was completely in tact, no holes or cracks, so the contents inside should have been safe and secure.

"I don't know. But we're going to find out."

I tried to pry the lid open with my fingers, but it wouldn't budge, not even a little bit. it had been sealed shut from an extended period in the natural elements and was not giving at all.

"Try this," Sora offered me one of his kunai, "There should be a weak spot between the box and the lid."

I shuffled on my knees, turning around to face my friend and I took the knife from him, "Thanks," I held the box firmly to the ground while I pressed the sharp tip of the kunai against the seam.

"Please don't break," I gulped, and then with as much force as I could muster, I drove the kunai down into it.

"Shit!" Sora ducked just in time, falling to the ground as the kunai deflected off the box and flew from my hand, almost striking him. "What the heck?"

I looked down, dumbfounded. The box had hissed as it rejected the intended damage. _"It must be some kind of magical seal…"_ I thought.

"Kimimaro? What…"

"It's a sealing Jutsu." And I knew what to do!

I placed the box back down on the ground and then lifted my hand, forming the sign of unbinding, "Release!"

There was a faint click and the lid popped up, just slightly, enough that I could remove it without any force.

"Nice!" Sora cheered and leaned closer.

I sucked in a breath, holding it with anticipation as I carefully removed the lid...


	15. More Than Meets The Eye

**XIV - More Than Meets The Eye**

There were only three items in the rusted tin box my mother had hidden those many years and years ago.

And though the items were not what I had been expecting, I couldn't bring myself to feel disappointed with the discovery, not really, as they had obviously meant something to my mother. But… at the same time I had been hoping for… something more. What that more was… I had no idea, but I know that I did definitely not feel any sense of closure.

After three years of planning I was hoping to end this chapter of my life but instead, all I got was another open door, another beginning, a new journey to take. I felt like I was caught in a scavenger hunt. One clue leading to the next until, hopefully, I reached this big, grand climatic end.

Oh, what fun.

"Your mom was a mysterious woman, KK." Sora remarked as he studied an ambiguous brass key, one of the first three items that had been taken from the box.

I shifted my gaze over to him, unimpressed.

He was just as perplexed by the limited and seemingly valueless contents as I was. Though, for a very different reason. He was hoping for something big and exciting, like a pirate searching for buried treasure whereas I was just looking for some answers, not material possessions. Unfortunately, that's what I got.

The second item was a blue-banded forehead protector stamped with the symbol of the Leaf. Presumably my Mothers from the time before she left Konoha to become a rogue ninja. It was, surprisingly, in pristine condition - folded neatly and seemingly with care in the box. I ran the tip of my finger slowly over the indented symbol, tracing the cool lines.

"Do you think my mom thought she might return to Konoha someday?" I asked shifting my gaze over to Sora. Maybe the answer was more mundane than that. Maybe she just couldn't bring herself to discard it or destroy it. I would never know as she never talked much about the Leaf Village, but I was curious.

"Possibly. She did go to great lengths to keep this stuff hidden." He shrugged and handed me the key, replacing his curiosity with the photo that was found at the bottom of the box.

The third and final item. It was a picture of my mother and her squad. The scene was a cheerful one, they were all laughing, happy. She would have been about the same age as I was now, twelve, maybe thirteen. Two boys that looked similar in age stood on each of her sides, and a large brown dog had its front paws up on one of them, licking the boys face. Standing behind them was an older looking man. Their sensei.

I don't think I had ever seen my mother look so… joyful. Not while I was alive anyway. I remembered her much differently, always so serious, so secretive and she kept defensive walls up around her at all times only allowing brief moments of emotion to filter through when we were alone. That changed somewhat when we fled to Suna, so I had surmised that it was mostly for self-preservation, and partly to protect me from fully being corrupted by Lord Orochimaru.

Whatever it was, knowing that there was once a time in her life that she had been truly happy and felt free made me smile.

"Your mom had a thing about writing on the back of photos, huh?" Sora joked as he flipped the picture over.

"Hey! Don't make fun of the dead. Especially not my mother." I scowled, narrowing my eyes at him and then swiped the photo from his hands, "She was always making notes, not just on photos. It was a kind of quirk of hers."

"I see. Sorry," He chewed on his lower lip, hiding one of his trademark charming grins and hopped up to sit on the fallen tree trunk, "That was in bad taste."

"It was," I sniffled in derision. I knew he was just trying to lighten the mood, and I wasn't actually offended – but the amused look on his face suggested he knew that too.

I joined him at the tree, leaning back against it while reviewing my mom's jottings.

"This has to be an address."

"Yeah. And the key has to be related."

I nodded. "Do you recognize this street name, Sora? Is it in Konoha?"

"Considering everything, I would bet everything on it that it is a Konoha address. I don't recognize it but someone back in the Village will know. I'm sure."

"Mmm."

"Turn it back over." Sora directed and when I did, he pointed at one of the boys in the photo, the one with the dog licking his face. He had red markings on his cheeks, and his hair was a wild mess, "I think he is part of the Inuzuka Clan. That dog is probably his ninja hound."

"Really?"

"His look fits. And there's the dog. One and one makes two. I can take you to their compound when we return to the Village. We can ask around, see if we can find this guy."

"Yeah? That's a good idea. Thanks."

Sora grinned, "You got it, KK." He slapped his hand down on my shoulder.

"Well…" I blew out a breath and slowly surveyed the clearing. "I think we're done here."

"You sure?" Sora asked, squeezing my shoulder gently.

"Yes… I mean… I think so. I have what I… came for."

"Okay. Cool." He jumped down off the tree. "Hey, before we go…" He quickly retrieved the tin box that had been discarded to the side and pulled out my mothers Kona headband, "I think you should wear this."

"Oh?" I arched a brow. "My loyalty lies with Suna. I can't just switch…"

Sora shook his head, stopping me from saying anything further, "I would never ask you to do that, Kimimaro. It would be unreasonable, not to mention completely stupid. I'm pretty sure your Kazekage would hunt me down and have me murdered for treason."

I laughed. "He would."

"I think you should wear both. For Suna and for your mother," He took a few measured steps towards me until he was standing in my personal space, "Konoha is in your blood." He grinned and pressed the tips of his index and middle finger briefly to the centre of my forehead, right between my branded scarlet dots, "You have the will of fire in you, Kimimaro." He grinned and placed the Kona band around my left bicep, tying it securely. It lined up perfectly with the Suna band on my right arm. "There. You look more like yourself now than you ever have. Your mom would be proud."

I was speechless. More so than usual. Who knew Sora Uchiha could be so… profound? And that wasn't to say I thought he was superficial in any way, but he certainly didn't go out of his way to try and impress other people with his words or his actions - what you got with Sora was exactly the way he was. Though, he didn't really need to prove anything to anyone, he was naturally a very likeable person.

"You continually surprise me Sora." I looked down at my left arm, and then the right. Something about wearing those two bands together felt good, proper. Balanced. This was the rightful way to honor my mother and her memory.

Maybe I had found something out here in the land of fire after all… some closure. Even if it was just a little.

I shifted my gaze back up to my friend, my smile wider than it had ever been and I placed my hand on his forearm, "Thank you." was all I could say. The gratitude I had for him in that moment was unmeasurable.

To my astonishment, his cheeks flushed a pale pink and he coughed to clear his throat before he spoke again, "So you mentioned something about an Inn?" He slung his arm coolly around my shoulders steering me back towards the main path.

"About two hours from here. They have Hot Springs."

"YES!" He pumped his fist, "I need a long soak after all that walking you made me do."

"Me? Hm." I rubbed my chin, "I seem to recall you stalking me, following me and then begging me to let you come along with me."

"Technicalities, KK."

We shared an affable laugh.

"I'm glad you did though." I added.

Sora turned his head slightly, "Me too."

"It's kind of funny…."

"What is?" Sora asked.

"You know Hiroka, and even Gaara had offered to come with me. I told Gaara I would go with my squad, a little white lie of course, because I knew he would be against it. And Hiroka, I had insisted that I needed to do this by myself even though he was hesitant of letting me be out here alone. I thought that was the right thing to do because she was _my_ mother, this was my journey to take. But I was wrong. Now, I couldn't imagine making this trip alone. And maybe I just needed the right… spirit, the right person to experience this with. And even though we barely know each other, really, I'm glad it was you that came with me. Is that weird? I feel like that is weird."

"No," Sora grinned, "You know what's really funny, Kimimaro?"

"What's that?"

"I feel like I have known you forever."


	16. Detour

**Chapter XV - Detour**

The return trip back to the Leaf Village was much more leisurely, though a lot less comfortable, for Sora and me.

Our bodies ached from exertion after spending our first waking hours training, sparring, right before a half day of travel and after a breakfast that was large enough for ten. Both of which, in hindsight, were terrible choices but Sora had insisted it was a great idea, that we were so close to the final Chunin exams and that it was a good opportunity to get to know each other and our fighting styles before we were pitted against each other in the arena.

He was right, it was useful, but we were paying for it now, even a quick soak in the hot springs before we left the Inn hadn't really soothed us. I rolled my shoulder as we strolled slowly along our path, trying to work out the kink. It had been some time since I had trained with a partner as talented as Sora and he was a tough adversary; strong and fast. It was also the first time I had come face to face with the Sharigan concluding that it was in fact just as legendary as the stories told.

Now, I thought I was a pretty agile fighter, and I had mastered Taijutsu, yet I hadn't been able to break through Sora's defences. Pretty impressive. That was the true power of his clan's Kekkei Genkai, he saw through my every movement. It was frustrating but at the same time a valuable lesson - something that I could take with me into the exams.

From the corner of my eye, I could see my friend watching me, his face smug.

"Stop looking at me like that." I huffed.

"So moody today." He snickered and laid his hand on my shoulder, fingers curling into my muscle to gently massage away the stiffness.

I shrugged out of his grip, "I'm not moody, I'm sore."

Sora smiled faintly, his amusement shifting, and he spun around to face me, "Because I was actually a challenge for you?" He said walking expertly backwards now, without missing a single step.

"Your Sharigan was a challenge, yes. And speaking of, it wasn't really a fair match. We were just supposed to be training." I sniffled in derision.

He laughed, "You didn't think I played fair?" He pressed one hurt hand to his chest, all theatrics, "I'm wounded, Kimimaro. You know, my Sharigan, it's kind of second nature to me, I can't always control it."

I snorted.

"Oh, come on. You liked it. Admit it."

"I'll admit that it was helpful."

"If you need any more help…" He grinned before giving me a mocking wink.

"You're about to walk into a tree." A moment later, a low hanging branch smacked him on the back of the head wiping the pompous smile from his face and I bit down into my lower lip hiding a grin.

"Ouch."

"Your Sharigan wasn't much help there, huh?" I teased.

"I don't have eyes in the back of my head, Kimimaro."

"No. You. Don't." I whispered, more to myself than anyone. And that was an important piece of information, more so than I think even Sora realized.

We had been on the road for about six hours now and our conversation died down, though Sora, who always had to be making noise of some kind, whistled merrily as we walked. I didn't understand the need to fill the silence with sound, but the tune was kind of pleasant.

'Help!"

Sora stopped whistling and abruptly turned his head to look at me.

"Yeah, I heard it too." I said shifting my gaze over my left shoulder.

"Please! Someone. Help!"

Came the voice again.

Sora and I both wheeled back around in the direction that we had just come from, carefully scanning the area for possible threats and trying to determine the orientation of the panicked pleas for help.

Sora was the first to react, he darted to the left and off the path, sprinting into dense forest and towards an unknown threat. 

"Sora!" I shouted after him but clearly, he was not going to stop so, naturally, I followed him even though I knew it was a bad idea to act hastily in a situation we were not prepared for. But I couldn't let him go alone. That was an even bigger faux pas. You always stuck by your comrades.

We didn't have to venture far. About twenty feet from the main path we found the source of the hysterics - a girl was cornered by three attackers, three much larger male attackers, and it looked like they had already stripped the girl of her belongings, possibly after more.

We kept our presence concealed, perched aptly in the treetops as we observed the scene, silently strategizing our offensive move. Upon initial review, the three men did not appear to be much of a challenge; sure, they were rough and boorish looking, but they were sloppy and not one of them was watching their back or the backs of their buddies. These were not experts just common thieves looking for a quick payout and a lone girl was an easy target.

Cowards.

Unluckily for the men, it also made them basic marks for trained shinobi like Sora and me.

Obviously, my own partner in crime had come to the same conclusion and was ready to act. Keeping his voice low, he leaned closer and whispered, "I'm going in. Back me up."

 _So heroic_.

But it was better him than me. Most people did not react well to my presence or general manner, I was not as characteristically likeable as Sora and saving damsels in distress was not really my forte either, so he could go play hero why I waited in the wings. I would aid him if necessary though I doubted it would come to that.

I watched it all play out from above. Sora engaged the group non-violently and the brutes responded with an equal amount of rebellion, attacking him instantly. No skin off his back, he handled the first man with ease, a perfectly placed palm sending the assailant backwards with force until he hit the trunk of a large tree. As expected, the second assaulter met a similar fate but managed to block a few of Sora's advances before he too fell. The third and final man was smarter than the other two. All relative of course. He knew he stood no chance against a shinobi and while Sora was distracted, took the opportunity the grab the girls stolen goods and make a break for it. He ran. fast.

What he did not realize was that Sora was not alone in this fight. Mistake number two, assuming.

"KIMIMARO!" Sora screamed from below, still taking mugger number two down, the fool just wouldn't quit, and Sora was being careful not to kill just incapacitate the man.

"Yeah, yeah," Instead of pursuing the runner, I pressed my palms together and began to form several hand seals in quick succession, "Earth Release: Brick Technique." The ground shook slightly and then a solid wall of rock rose from the earth.

The man, too preoccupied with what was going on behind him. ran smack-bang face first into the unforeseen blockade and crumpled to the ground unconscious. And to add insult to injury the wall crumbled down on top of him.

"Idiot." I jeered and then leapt from the treetops, landing smoothly on the ground beside Sora.

"Thanks," He muttered, brushing his hands together.

I nodded in response.

"Hi there," Sora said, finally addressing the girl.

She looked terrified, her eyes wide and glassy, and her outer appearance was disheveled; her brunette hair falling out of a once neat bun, and her clothes were dirtied and askew, like she had been in a scuffle. She was very obviously shaken up over her ordeal.

"We're not going to hurt you," Sora reassured and took a slow, careful step towards her, "We're shinobi. From the… Leaf Village."

I remained silent, as prudent as always and lowered myself down into a crouch, again allowing Sora to take the lead while I held back. I wasn't very good at talking to people, especially not strangers who needed comforting.

She eyed me curiously, and then focused her attention back on Sora. Was she checking for our ninja bands to confirm we were who we said we were, that were being honest, despite first appearances?

"Are you okay?" Sora asked.

She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and her shoulders relaxed a little, "I am. Thank goodness you showed up when you did." On the verge of tears, the girl whimpered, and her eyes glistened over with tears that threatened to fall. "I don't…. I don't know what would have happened had you not." She managed to keep it together, and wrapped her arms defensively around her body, "Thank you."

Sora offered her a confident nod of his head, "Part of the job." He responded with that overly charming way of his. I couldn't see his face, but I could only imagine the kind of grin he was wearing.

And, of course, the girl reacted appropriately, eating it right up. Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson in response. Sora had that beguiling effect on women. And some men. And well almost anybody he met. It was nauseating to witness.

I rolled my eyes. _Ick._

"So… what's your name?" He asked.

Now was a good time for me to make myself useful, while they conversed, and Sora got more details of the crime whilst comforting and calming the girl down, I slipped away unnoticed. There were three men that needed to be tied-up and secured. The Leaf Village forces would collect them once they were informed of what took place and the location they could find the deviants.

I dragged the dead-weight of the unconscious bodies together, posing them sitting up backs against a tree and then bound their ankles and wrists with some strong line found in my weapons holster. Lastly, I tied them fixedly to the trunk, so they wouldn't, and couldn't, go anywhere until someone cut them free.

I brushed my hands together, proud of my handiwork. I had played my part in this impromptu rescue mission, and now we could get the hell out of here. If we left now I would make it back to the village before sundown and avoid Hiroka-Sensei sending out that search party. We were cutting it close, thanks to the extended sparring in the morning, we were already behind schedule even before this little detoured distraction.

I gathered the girls scattered belongings, and when I returned to my original position behind Sora, he and the girl were still talking. Oblivious, like I hadn't even left, like I hadn't been there in the first place.

"Kimimaro, we should…" Sora stopped mid sentence and blinked.

"Yes?" I slightly canted my head to the side.

"Err. I see you have already got things wrapped up here." He grinned and scratched his head, "So… Mari was on her way to the Leaf Village. We'll be escorting her the rest of the way there."

"Very well," I offered Mari her bag, "We should leave now if we are to make it before the sun goes down."

Once again, she gave me a suspicious glance, but accepted her valuables back, "Thank you." She muttered as quiet as a mouse.

I nodded and started to head back towards the main path. I waited for the two of them to catch up, allowing them to move ahead of me so I could take up my preferred position at the rear.

"So, you were heading to the Leaf Village? Where are you from?" Sora asked as we strolled slowly forward. Slower than I would have liked, but Sora was doing his best to keep a pace that was comfortable for the girl.

"Amegakure. My brother is competing in the final Chunin exams. I promised I would come watch him fight." She explained.

Sora looked back over his shoulder at me and silently mouthed the word, _"Who?"_

I shrugged my shoulders, just as confused as he was. There were no Shinobi competing from the Rain…

"That makes us rivals," Sora declared, "Kimimaro and I are also participating in the final exam."

"You are?" She answered, "You seem so...young."

And I was sure that observation was directed at me rather than her walking companion as she glanced briefly back at me. I understood her initial surprise, and she was not exactly wrong. I was younger than the other participants - on top of already looking young for my age. I was often told I was "too young". I was used to it.

"Who is your brother?" I interjected, "There are no shinobi from the Rain Village in the exams this year." Blunt. Direct. That was the best way to get an answer from her, not tip-toeing around what you really wanted to know. The answer, I feared, was not going to bode well for her...

"Tachi. Tachi Kobayashi."

I immediately came to a halt, my brows pinching together. Her brother was a Mist Shinobi! And not just any Mist shinobi, he was the ringleader of the squad who ambushed us during the Forest of Death stage. He had started a fight with Sora right afterwards and threatened my life.

Sora had also stopped and dropped his chin in displeasure - to the girls bewilderment.

"I know, I should have explained better." She rambled, "I am originally from the Hidden Mist Village too. But I relocated with my Mother to…. Long story."

Both Sora and I remained silent, our jaws rigid, teeth clamped tightly together to keep our mouths shut. She wasn't to blame, she was not her brother, we couldn't take out our anger on her.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Ah… no," Sora finally sighed, "It's… nothing. Come on. We should keep walking."

Without saying another word, I collected myself and calmly advanced ahead. There was no need for further discussion, though, behind me I could hear Sora and Mari still chatting.

"I thought you said you were shinobi from the Leaf," She said, suddenly cautious.

"Yes." Sora replied.

"Then why does Kimimaro carry the symbol of the Sand? And the Leaf?"

"Well…"

I abruptly turned my head, interrupting him before he divulged too much information, "I am a shinobi, that's all you need to know."


	17. First Round Fight

**XVI - First Round Fight**

The centre of the battle stadium was an intimidating place. Especially for someone who did not like being the centre of anyone's attention let alone being the focus of almost an entire Village… plus, some. Someone like me...

From my starting position, I could see the entire sold out crowd and in turn I felt the eyes of every single citizen, Shinobi and Fuedal Lord on and at my back, glaring down upon me, judging me - or so it felt that way.

The noise of the crowd only made the situation more uncomfortable. With the bleachers, seats, and private boxes filled at capacity the chatter of excitement and anticipation echoed around the arena as one loud and lively song.

The Chunin Exams were a big deal, a much bigger deal than I had imagined. Though, I supposed it made sense. We were the next generation of shinobi and represented the strengths of each of our Lands. This was an important rite of passage of young Shinobi.

I slowly scanned the crowd before shifting my gaze over to my opponent. Touma maintained the same cool and collected exterior as I did, though, from this short distance apart it was obvious that he was just as anxious about the limelight as I was. I could see it in his eyes.

"Touma. Kimimaro"

We both abruptly turned out heads towards the proctor of the exam, Shikamaru Nara. He glanced lazily from one of us to the next, his arms crossed neatly over his chest.

"It's time. You both know the rules, when you are ready, we can begin." He stated.

Touma spoke first, affirming his position, "Ready," He returned his attention back to me and the big guy smiled an equally big toothy grin, one that suited him to a tee.

I agreed with a simple, yet firm, nod of my head.

"Good luck, Genin. For the Leaf and for the Sand, show us your best." He spread his arms wide before backing slowly away, leaving us to the stage.

As soon as Shikamaru took his place at the sidelines the noise in the stadium began to die down, the once energetic crowd now murmured their enthusiasm in muted whispers until finally, everything went silent - waiting with bated breaths for the fight to commence.

 _Who would come out on top?_ The talk around town had not been favorable for me - my odds were low in the betting department and, apparently, I was the underdog in this fight. Though understandably so. Not only was Touma their native son, and who wouldn't want their own to win - he was familiar, I was a nobody, but he was also twice my size. Well, almost.

Those that did know us, however, knew that the odds were a lot more even. Looks could be deceiving, in the world of a shinobi it wasn't just about size. Strength came from within too.

Admittedly, I had yet to observe Touma's talents or fighting style, so I really was coming in blind, apart from what advice Sora had offered me about his squad mate, I could well be out of my league. He was a wind style user, he was proficient with weapons at long ranges, and in close combat he could KO an opponent with one hefty punch, but that was the extent of my knowledge.

I had a plan, however. And practical experience was my preferred method of learning as I could react, tweak and perfect my fighting style as needed based on Touma's strengths and weaknesses. Yes, I was adaptable, just as a Shinobi should be. Words of advice could only take one so far, so my original game plan was on - I would wait for Touma to make the first move, I would stay on the defensive until I learned what I needed to defeat him.

I remained calm and relaxed, impassive as always, though I could feel a prickle of nervous and excited energy sparking in the air above and between us like a cloud of static electricity as we stared at one another, silently beckoning the other to start the fight.

Touma shifted his pose so subtly, falling into a disciplined fighting stance whilst he reached for the weapons holsters at his thighs.

It seemed he was ready and willing to trigger this battle. With weapons of course, which I had expected.

Cautiously, I prepared myself for his opening attack. One of my feet slid slowly backwards, my knees slightly bent, and my hands came up, one arm extended but with both palms out facing my opponent. A traditional defensive position, I was also ready for whatever Touma had in his arsenal.

The crowd cheered simultaneously in anticipation, on the edge of their seats...

I smirked and Touma immediately began his assault.

He easily propelled himself up and forward. Raising his arms, he fired several shuriken in my direction at lighting speed, and, as usual, his aim was perfect. I darted left and right, dodging and avoiding the sharp projectiles as they hissed loudly by me, one after the other. I shot up off the ground just as the remaining shuriken met the spot I had just vacated, lodging sharply into the dirt just milliseconds apart.

It seemed the barrage of shuriken was just a distraction, however. He wasn't _really_ trying to hit me with them, and he knew very well I could and would be able to evade them. From the corner of my eye, there was a sudden and brief flash of light, sunlight catching the edge of a moving kunai. And it had a tail - an almost invisible line of wire. He was trying to fish me right out of the air. Clever.

Just before the kunai wrapped around one of my ankles I quickly pressed my palms together and then in quick succession I formed the necessary hand seals to escape the attack. Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake. Substitution Jutsu. In a blink of an eye, I disappeared, landing high on a high branch of a tree just as Touma fished my body double from the sky with a hard yank downwards.

He roared in victory as he brought his arm back, his hand balled into a tight fist and ready to strike out and finish me with one of his stereotypical one-hit knockout punches. His fist connected with the substitution and in a cloud of smoke it puffed away revealing a wooden log in its place.

Temporarily baffled, he did not notice when the real me attacked. My taijutsu game was strong. I disarmed him with an agile kick and followed it with one hard hit and then another to his torso and then to his shoulder in attempt to wind him and numb his entire dominant right arm. The fourth blow he blocked and, surprisingly, he managed to throw a swing of his own.

I ducked away from his fist, but I underestimated his speed, and his knuckles grazed my cheek with just enough force to send me stumbling backwards. I regained my composure instantaneously and we continued our melee, each of us making contact and blocking critical hits.

This close combat was getting me nowhere. I had the advantage of speed and agility on my side, but Touma had a lot more stamina due to his size and muscle mass so my ducking and dodging and blocking between perfectly placed strikes against him would quickly tire me out but leave him with enough energy to knock me out. I needed to do more damage and I needed more space to plan my next move.

When Touma retracted his arm to take another shot at me, I used the exceptionally short moment to create a hasty series of hand seals. My right hand began to tingle with heat and a small explosion began to gather and build in my palm, a compressed storm swirling into a spherical ball. My jaw tightened, teeth pressed firmly together, it took quite a lot of focus to keep the matter stable, but I only had seconds to react, there was no time for perfection, "Explosion Release: Landmine Fist!" I thrust my hand to the centre of Touma's beefy chest.

In size and destructive power, the combination taijutsu and ninjutsu was only at a fraction of its true potential. After all, I wasn't trying to kill my opponent just deal some lasting damage and hopefully sway my odds in a more favorable direction. And it was a success! Caught off guard, Touma grunted, the wind knocked out of him as he was pushed forcefully backwards. He clashed with the stone wall of the stadium in a cloud of dirt and dust and then he slumped sluggishly to the ground. _  
_

 _Was he unconscious?_

Cautiously, I watched him for any sign of movement and I held my offensive pose, at the ready and always on guard, prepared for the unexpected. My chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, I panted from the effort of the fight, and my chakra depleting.

For a moment, he did not move a single muscle, he appeared to have been knocked out. Even Shikamaru had become more alert, stepping away from the sidelines and willing to end the fight.

But then, Touma twitched and he rolled his head, like he was trying to crack his neck back into place. He weakly lifted himself back up to his feet. He swayed, wobbly on his feet but had enough practiced balance to keep himself upright. Despite an obvious concussion.

The crowd came alive, shouting words of encouragement and clapping their hands loudly. The battle had not been won yet, and they cheered him on.

"Is that all you got, Kimimaro?" He grumbled and lifted his arm, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

I snorted a laugh, "Not even close," I assured him, and then added, "You don't look very well, Touma."

"Pfft. A few scratches, I'm just getting started," He proclaimed before he listlessly formed a hand seal, presumably in retaliation of my offense.

From the distance between us I could not make out what the seal was, but I braced myself.

"Wind Release: Air Bullets!" He drew in a large breath and released it. Moments later, pockets of distorted air were rushing towards me with intense speed.

I couldn't avoid the ninjutsu, it was coming at me too hard and too fast, so I lifted my arms to protect my vitals and prepared myself for impact. I hissed as the wind bullets met my skin, like a thousand tiny bee stings, over and over, and I began to slide backwards, my feet unable to gain grip against the force of the wind.

I strained against the current, my long silver hair whipped about my face, and I bore the pain while I devised a strategy to turn the tables. I had something up my sleeve, but it was a final chakra draining move that would either win or lose me this fight. Depending on Touma's real strength and what he had left in his tank... It was worth taking the chance, there was not better time than in the Chunin Exams.

Confronting the wind style attack, I once again brought my palms together and formed a series of hand seals to raise my chakra. I then took a deep breath and my eyes drifted close. A meditative state. Focus. Seconds later, the ground under my feet softened and I disappeared out of sight, the weight of the earth heavy and dark around me as I was enveloped. I couldn't lurk below the surface for more than a few seconds without the risk of suffocation or injury so I without waste I located my target and with a surprise attack, I breached the surface of dirt, thrust my arm upwards and gripped one of Touma's ankles firmly with my hand.

"Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!" I dragged him down into the suddenly pliable dirt, replacing his position above ground and leaving him as just a head sticking out from the ground - ground that had now hardened around him.

I skidded to a halt just a few paces away, my gaze settled firmly on my struggling opponent. I breathed heavily in and out,

The crowd gasped in unison and then… Crickets. The stadium went silent, you could have heard a pin drop.

Touma struggled, the edges of ground around his neck cracking as he attempted to free himself from his rock prison, but he was good and stuck. There was no way of getting out of there, his hands were encased in earth, and only a jutsu would free him now.

Certain that he was secure, I relaxed and straightened my back. It was over.

From the sidelines, Shikamaru appeared, one corner of his mouth was kicked up with an amused grin, "Touma Sato is unable to fight." He exclaimed loudly, and then he released Touma from my Ninjutsu.

Touma grunted and fell down onto his ass, looking defeated and dusted the dirt off his body and clothes as he could. He looked as exhausted as I felt.

"The winner of fight two is Kimimaro Kaguya." Shikamaru announced with confidence.

The match was officially over. I had won my first one-on-one fight and would be moving on to the next round.

Suddenly, there was chaos from the silence. I flinched as a loud roar came over the crowd. People clapped, and people cheered in a chorus of many congratulations, and amongst the praise there was even the odd boo or two. Not the fight anyone had expected. _But didn't that make it a good one?_

I grinned and swept my gaze over the flailing bodies, all arms and hands - meeting the glances of my comrades, my squad mates and Hiroka, and above, Lord Gaara was looking down at me with pride.

I grinned, proud of myself. For maybe the first time in my young life. I could and would celebrate later, at the dinner for the competitors, but there was someone that I really needed to thank. He was after all the reason why I was one step closer to becoming a Chunin.

I quickly covered the space between me and my opponent. Touma. "Hey,"

He tilted his head slightly up towards me, "Hey."

Now standing beside his slumped form, I offered him my hand which he immediately took, and he used my body as leverage to get himself back up to his feet - almost bringing me down to the ground in the process.

"Great fight, friend."

Touma finally smiled and shook my hand in return, "It was. We should do it again some time."

I snorted a laugh as we both turned to make our way back to the stage with the other competitors, walking gingerly as we nursed our wounds - wounds that would heal, wounds that had given us both priceless experience.


	18. Who is Sora Uchiha?

**XVII - Who is Sora Uchiha?**

It was the day after the first round of the Chunin exams and I had plans. Or more specifically Sora and I had made plans.

We had both won our round one fights, along with Akiko and the boy from the Mist - Tachi, so we decided we deserved at least one rest day before we got back to training and then meeting our next opponents in round two - which was in just a few days time. Sora had promised to take me to visit the Inuzuka clan, so I could possibly, and hopefully, unlock some more mysteries surrounding my mother and there was no better time than now - right between the success of our first round exams and a whole lot of hard work still to come.

Now, he was late.

I had been loitering at the entrance of the Uchiha compound for more than an hour and my presence was starting to get noticed, wary citizens eyeing me from afar, but I couldn't go beyond those main gates, I felt too intimidated to enter the compound alone. Well… it was partly that and the fact that I had no idea where Sora lived. But admittedly, I was mostly intimidated...

I paced across the entrance once again, glancing beyond the gates in hopes that Sora would finally appear, and feeling disappointed when I didn't spot those dark eyes looking back at me. _Where was he?_ With a huff of annoyance, I settled back against one of the solid concrete pillars and pulled out the photo of my mother, alongside her Konoha squad, to study as I waited. There was nothing new, but I always thought that maybe this time I would learn something new by just looking at the picture. The last hundred views hadn't yielded anything ground-breaking, so my expectations were low, however, it didn't stop me from looking and wanting more from it.

"Kimimaro?"

Lost in my mother's smile I hadn't noticed the new presence approach me. As soon as I lifted my chin to address the shadow blocking out the morning sun, I immediately pushed away from the wall and straightened out from my lax position. I stuffed the photo back in my thigh holster and coughed to clear my throat. "Lord Gaara," I greeted my Lord Kazekage with a slight bow of my head, extremely surprised to see him there outside the Uchiha Compound.

He returned the gesture and offered me a modest smile, "You must be here to visit Sora." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes." I nodded, noticing, with interest, the several scrolls he had tucked into the crook of his arm. They looked important. "We were supposed to meet right here outside the compound, we were going… to train. But, he is late as usual." I huffed, "If I may ask, what are you doing here?"

Catching my glances at the scrolls, Gaara slightly lifted his arm, "I was on my way to see Lord Sasuke. Village matters. I can accompany you inside if you wish?" He suggested.

Was my trepidation about entering the Uchiha Compound alone that obvious? I was usually very good at remaining passive, regardless of how I was feeling on the inside, so I immediately felt foolish under Gaara's scrutiny. Though, I was sure he could understand why I hesitated. Not only was I a foreigner to the Leaf Village, but blindly navigating the compound looking for Sora would surely raise some suspicions. _Wouldn't it?_

"Yes. Thank you. I don't… exactly know," I glanced down and away from Gaara, my cheeks heating with a spreading blush, "where Sora lives."

Gaara chuckled softly, "Come," He began walking and I followed, keeping pace at his side.

Upon initial observation, I could tell the Uchiha Compound was maintained with great care. The streets were clean, bushes and shrubs were neatly pruned and the Uchiha clan's fan like symbol, that was splashed all over on walls and doors, were vibrant. It was a lot larger and spacious than I imagined, almost like a small village itself, and curiously, unbelievably quiet, a ghost town...

"Lord Gaara," I began, "How many live within these walls?"

"There are only two remaining Uchiha families and they both reside here in the compound alone," He went on to elaborate, "Lord Sasuke and his wife Lady Sakura live just beyond the old Uchiha market village, which is all shut down now and has been for some time, and then Lord Kosuke and his family live in the house adjacent to them."

My brow furrowed. "Lord Kosuke. That is Sora's father?" I asked.

"Yes," Gaara replied.

I had never met Sora's immediate family and I always wondered about his parents. His father especially. As far as I knew, and based only on stories I had heard, Sasuke had been the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan. Sora shared some physical characteristics with Lord Sasuke though. Jet black hair, dark almond shaped eyes, and they both had that same heart shaped face and strong chin and jawline. They were related for sure. They had to be. But how was that possible?

"You are trying to figure out who Lord Kosuke is. I can see the gears turning." He stated, just like he was reading directly from my mind.

"Yes. I don't understand."

"Lord Kosuke is Sasuke's older brother."

My brow pinched more tightly together, "I thought Itachi Uchiha was Lord Sasuke's older brother?"

"He was." Gaara acknowledged and then continued on to explain, "It is not often talked about but Lord Sasuke actually had two older brothers. Kosuke was the oldest of the three. He left the Leaf Village when Sasuke was just a baby."

"He did? Why did he leave?" I asked maybe a little too enthusiastically.

"Well, you know of Itachi and heard tales of all the sacrifices he made for the Leaf Village, of course, but Kosuke was the first brother to be put in that position, propositioned by both the Leaf Village Elders and the Uchiha to act as an informer of sorts. But unlike Itachi, he was not willing to let others determine his fate, he would not be their puppet, he would not betray his family or his Village so instead he chose to runaway from it all. He vanished into seemingly thin air, never to be heard from again."

"That is… unbelievable." I muttered, "So Itachi was forced to become the agent instead." I frowned.

"Yes, unfortunately. Itachi was manipulated to do their bidding at a very young age. Different times. It is quite unbelievable but true. And neither Sasuke or Itachi remembered having an older brother, they were too young, and their parents never spoke of Kosuke. They disowned him, denounced him as a part of their family and from the Uchiha name."

"Why did he return?" I dropped my head and looked down at the ground, concentrating on my feet and where I was stepping as I took it all in, a million thoughts and questions buzzing about my head. "What made him want to come back?"

"Well, it's said that word of Itachi's death spread across the Five Great Nations until it finally reached Kosuke. He didn't return right away though, he felt he would not be welcomed back to the Village considering his history. Time passed, and I guess he eventually wanted to reconnect with his only remaining living family. He was back in the Leaf Village before the start of the Fourth Great Ninja War. That is when Sasuke and Kosuke were reunited."

"I see." I nodded my head in understanding, I was a man of little words.

Gaara laughed softly again, "You know," He began and then gently laid his free hand down on my shoulder as we walked, "You and Sora are very much alike. I can see why you became such good friends so quickly. It's good that you have each other."

I scoffed, "Sora and I are _very_ different." I rebutted.

"Hm. Perhaps in personality and experience, yes, very different, but Sora also bears the weight of comparison like you do. He has a lot of pressure on him to perform. Especially being the firstborn son in the next generation of Uchiha's and looking the way he does. People don't forget prominent faces."

I tilted my head just slightly. _What did he mean by that?_

"Lor…" I was just about to ask Gaara to elaborate once again when a familiar voice interrupted our conversation.

"Looks like Sora has found you." Gaara reported.

We came to a stop and just ahead of us Sora and… I audibly gasped. _Lord Kosuke_! That was Sora's father. He was the same tall, dark, and handsome that matched Lord Sasuke to a tee. but, surprisingly enough, he was not the older version of Sora that I had expected...

Lord Gaara's words rang through my ears, _"Sora also bears the weight of comparison, looking the way he does."_ And then it hit me!

Lord Gaara wasn't referring to Sora's dad at all! It wasn't Kosuke that had the important face, the face that others compared Sora too. It was Itachi! Sora looked like Itachi Uchiha! It all made sense now.

In a split second the world around me froze, or maybe it was me that just went numb with realization. Sora looked like Itachi!

Gaara was right! Sora and I, we had more in common than I realized. I knew what it was like, to always be compared to someone else just because of how you looked - all the expectations and the disappointments that came along with it. I hated being compared to my Father. I may have looked identical to him, but I was not him, I was nothing like him. And Sora was not Itachi. He was his own person.

"Kimimaro?"

The low, even tone of Sora's voice broke the little bubble I was in and I snapped out of it immediately.

"You're late." I mumbled. And I wasn't sure why, but it was the first thing that came to my head, which was weird because there were so many other things I could have said. Or asked. Like where had he been? And why did he look so… exhausted? And were those glasses? Why was he wearing glasses? I had never seen him wearing glasses before...

Sora laughed. Slow and smooth. "Sorry. It wasn't my fault. Really." His grin was tight lipped, and he pushed his glasses further up his nose with the tip of his index finger, "Right, dad?"

"Don't throw me under the bus," The man smiled, and in that moment, I could see Sora in him, yep, definitely Sora's dad, "It is a struggle to get him up and out of bed every day." Kosuke shook his head, "Teenagers."

"Ugh. Dad, stop." Sora groaned, embarrassed.

The older Uchiha bellowed a loud, hearty chuckle, "Lord Kazekage, a pleasure to see you again." He bowed his head to Gaara and was offered the same gesture in return. He then offered me his hand for an official introduction, "Kosuke Uchiha. it's nice to finally meet you, Kimimaro. Sora talks non-stop about his new friend from the Sand."

I took his hand in mine. "Sora does talk a lot," I agreed with a quick, low chuckle.

Sora's face twisted in further chagrin, "Okay. We're going." He stepped away from his dad and grabbed my forearm, more than ready to whisk us away from the adults.

"Hang on," Kosuke demanded from his son, "I am not done talking." He said, "You can leave in a minute."

Sora huffed his displeasure.

"I was at the Chunin Exams yesterday." Kosuke explained, addressing both Lord Gaara and myself, "Your fight against Sora's squad mate was very impressive. Congratulations." He exclaimed.

Warmth flooded my cheeks, "Thank you. Touma is a very good shinobi, he fought extremely well."

"Indeed. He is a tough opponent, and not easily defeated. Everyone is talking about it."

My brows popped up. I was definitely interested in what people were saying about me… "They are?"

He chuckled, "Honestly, I don't think it was the outcome anyone expected. Actually, The Sand has been very successful this year, which has disappointed some… gamblers, i'm sure."

"Indeed," Gaara agreed, "But perhaps made some risk-takers a lot of coin." He jested, "The Leaf still has its greatest threat in the competition, no doubt," Garra stated, indicating to a sour looking Sora.

Kosuke's eyes seem to light up with pride at the mention of his son, like a father should, and he rested his hand on Sora's shoulder, to which my friend immediately tried to avoid, "Yes. And I am very proud of Sora." He grinned, "No matter how this all ends."

Sora groaned again, "Can we go now? Please." He added. I could see that he had enough healthy respect for his dad to ask before he just walked away, but he was agitated regardless.

"Yes, you may," Kosuke replied, "Lord Gaara, I apologize for keeping you."

"It is quite alright. I was on my way to see your brother." He explained, "Walk with me, Lord Kosuke. We have much to discuss."

"Finally," Sora mumbled under his breath, "Come on, KK." He took a few steps backwards, reaching out for me as he did so, "Lord Gaara." Sora respectfully bowed his head to my Kazekage.

"Stay out of trouble," Kosuke warned his son with a stern eye.

I lowered my head in bow, as was customary, before fleeing with my friend. Sora and I, we also had a lot to talk about.


	19. Squad Mate Located

**XVIII - Squad Mate Located**

The moment I had met up with Sora in the Uchiha Compound I knew something was off. He wasn't his usual cocky, yet charming, overly chatty and well put-together self.

Today, he was quiet, and he looked… disheveled - if not for a lack of a better word. His long black hair was roughly tied back in a low hanging ponytail so that short sections fell forward into his face, and he wore a black shirt, which was normal, however, it was over-sized and loose fitting, swallowing his healthy frame and making him appear smaller than he was. And then there were those wire rimmed glasses that highlighted dark bags beneath his brown, almond shaped eyes.

"I didn't know you wore glasses?" I remarked. Not one for small talk, it wasn't normal that I had to start or carry on a conversation with Sora so asking about his eyewear seemed like a good place to begin one.

He grimaced and pushed the nuisance item further up his nose with the tip of his index finger, just like he had done earlier. "My eyes aren't as impressive as the Sharingan makes them seem."

I canted my head slightly to the side, "But you see… everything,"

"Not everything." He mumbled under his breath.

A a hint of a frown touched my mouth. Was his natural eyesight really that bad? Or was there something more behind those two words...

He propped his elbow up on the table we were sitting at and rested his cheek against the open palm of his hand, "I get headaches. Bad headaches, especially after a hard fight."

"Because of the Sharingan?" I asked.

"Yeah," Without moving his head he took a sip of his milk bubble tea through a long white straw, "And just like your Kekkei Genkai, mine also has negative side effects. The headaches usually lead to blurry vision or… other things. So, these," He waved his free hand around his face indicating the glasses, "Help. I'll be fine in a day or two." He reassured me.

How about that. Sora and I had yet another thing in common.

I had no idea the Sharingan could be so damaging. Though, admittedly, I was not all that familiar with the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai. I knew that it was an overall advanced perception technique, and that it was useful in copying or mirroring an opponent's moves, which was why Sora had always been one step ahead of me when we trained together, but the consequences that came with the optic nerve transformation was worrying.

"You know," I began, "We don't have to go to see the Inuzuka Clan today." I could wait. Sora looked exhausted, like his headaches had kept him awake all night.

His face dropped with disappointment, "This is important to you. And I made a promise that I don't intend to break."

I couldn't help the smile that broke my usual stoicism. He was right, of course. He was usually right. I needed to meet with the Inuzuka so I could learn more about my mother but I wasn't leaving the Leaf Village for a couple of weeks still, so I had time. We had time.

"You're not breaking a promise. We'll go another day." I picked at the half-eaten remnants of my food, uninterested as always.

"No, I'm okay. Really. It's not too much," Sora insisted, "We're going."

'Are you sure?"

"Of course, KK." He said with a more characteristically Sora type of a grin replacing his pout, "Are you going to eat that?" He asked eyeing my leftover food. I could always count on him finishing my plate.

I snorted and shook my head, offering him the goodies. "So where do the Inuzuka live?"

He immediately picked up the remaining trio of savory mitarashi dango. "On the outskirts of the Village, West of here. Not far. They aren't a large family, so it should be easy to track down the man from your photo."

"Oh. Good."

Sora tugged the last ball of sticky dango from the skewer then wiped his hands on a paper napkin. "You ready?" He scrunched his nose, adjusting the pair of glasses that were resting there.

"Yes," _As ready as I ever will be._ I thought, suddenly anxious. My heart began to beat a little faster with the anticipation of what was to come that afternoon and what new discoveries I would make about my mother.

After paying for our lunch, Sora lead me through the busy market village until the crowd thinned out. We walked at a slow but steady pace, which seemed to suit Sora and his current condition - and mood - down less busy side streets until we were heading West towards to Inuzuka clan houses.

It didn't take long. Sora seemed to have an idea about who the boy in the photo with my mother was. He had explained as we walked. There were only two prominent Inuzuka families in the village. One was Lady Tsume who was the mother of Kiba and Hana, and the other was Tsume's younger brother Kegawa- he also had a few children that lived in houses in the general area - like all the others.

"Lord Kegawa is about the right age," Sora stated, "It's hard to tell though. The man has a lot of facial hair." He chuckled. "The Inuzuka's are a particularly hairy clan."

One corner of my mouth kicked up into a small grin.

We stopped outside a modest sized house that was situated on an extremely large piece of land, "And they also own a lot of property too. With all the dogs."

"Makes sense." I responded.

Sora placed his hand on the gate and instantly a dog began to bark, he didn't seem phased by it so he pushed it open and stepped through. I hesitated. Not because of the barking dog, dogs didn't scare me but the idea that this could be a dead end did terrify me. Or on the complete opposite end of the scale, maybe there were things I didn't want to know about my mother that this man did. I couldn't turn back now, I had to know. Either way. Good or bad.

I took a deep breath and followed Sora up the path leading to the front door. From the corner of my eye, a caught a glimpse of someone peeking out a front window of the house and before we made it onto the porch the front door opened.

The man that greeted us was as bushy as Sora had described. He had a full beard and a mass of brunette hair; on his cheeks I could see the red fang markings that was stereotypical of the Inuzuka clan peeking out from all that fuzz. A large wolf-like dog appeared at his side.

"Lord Kegawa," Sora addressed the man as we approached.

"A Uchiha, in my neck of the woods?" The man said in a deep, rumbling voice. His face was friendly despite his rough appearance, "Imagine that. And with a friend?"

"Yes, sir. This is Kimimaro Kaguya." Sora turned to gently grasp my arm, pulling me a few steps forward.

I bowed my head in greeting.

"Oh! Of course. Kimimaro from the Sand Village. I recognize you. I was at the Chunin Exams yesterday." He reported. "I suppose some congratulations are in order. For you both." He crossed his meaty arms over his chest.

"Thank you," Sora said.

I mimicked the gesture thanking Kegawa also.

"What can I help you boys with?" The man asked, "You didn't turn up on my doorstep by accident,"

Kegawa's ninja hound descended the steps and trotted happily over. I petted his head and I couldn't believe how unbelievably soft the fur was. Unlike any other dog I had ever petted, this was not a usual hound.

"No, sir." Sora acknowledged, "Kimimaro was hoping you could help him with something he found. I guided him here as I think you might be the one able to give him some answers."

The man raised an eyebrow. "What kind of answers?"

"I have a photo," I took a few measured steps closer to Lord Kegawa whilst removing the photograph from my thigh holster, "This was my Mother's. She was a shinobi, born and raised in Konoha… she… relocated to the sand," I tentatively handed the picture to Lord Kegawa and then took a step backwards.

The man's face became ghostly white as he stared at the picture. He didn't say a word. He looked up at me and then back to the photo. And repeated the action.

Sora and I shared curious glances.

"Lord Kegawa?"

The man swallowed hard, "This is your mother?" He asked.

I nodded, "Yes. Did you know her?" I added, my hopes climbing high,

"You are Liluna Yoshino's son?" He questioned me, glancing at the photo and then back up to me once again.

"Yes." I confirmed.

He was visibly upset, though maybe sad was a better word, but his reaction… I was almost positive he was one of my mothers' squad mates now. Nobody would react like that to a stranger.

"Is that you in the photo with her and the other boy?"

He nodded, and blew out a hard breath, "I knew your mother," He confirmed, returning my photo, "That is me."

Silence settled over the three of us. I couldn't believe it! I didn't know what to say! I had so many questions, where did I start?

"Why don't you come inside. I will make us some tea. We can talk."


	20. The Things We Learn

**XIX - The Things We Learn**

"I hope you don't mind me saying, but you don't look anything like Liluna." Lord Kegawa stated as he placed a cup of green tea down in front of me. He offered one to Sora and then joined us at the table, sitting adjacent to me.

"I don't mind. You're right, I don't."

"Kimimaro is practically an identical twin to his Father." Sora interjected.

Lord Kegawa eyed me with skepticism, "And who is your Father, Kimimaro?"

"I… do not remember him so I cannot tell you who he was. We share the same name, that's about all I know."

"I see,"

I wriggled nervously in my seat, fidgeting, uncomfortable with the way he looked at me, the way he was questioning me, like he was trying to validate my existence and my relationship with my mother, Liluna. It was a lot to take in. I knew that. How many years had it been since Lord Kegawa last saw my mother? Had he forgotten about her? Had he pushed her out of his memory or did he still think of his squad mate often? Was I just a difficult and unwanted reminder of the past?

"Lord Kegawa, who are the other boys in this photo?" I asked, trying to get a conversation started. I wasn't going to learn anything new if he continued to focus on me, and who I was, rather than my mother. I laid the picture down on the table to redirect him.

"Squad number 5," He recalled, seemingly with fondness. "Your mother, who we all loved like our own sister," He smiled then pointed to the other younger boy, "That is Haruto Suda," He replied. And just like earlier, his face fell with a sudden sadness, "He was my best friend."

"Was?" I asked, my voice low.

"He was killed in combat. During the Fourth Great Ninja War."

"Oh,"

He didn't dwell on that point for long and continued on, "And our Sensei," He tapped his finger against the image of the older man in the photo, "Riku. He also lost his life in that war. Like many others." He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry," I dropped my chin and cradled the hot cup of tea between my hands, "That must have been difficult." I couldn't even begin to imagine what that must have been like. Difficult was putting it lightly. So many young lives taken, so many families destroyed.

"Yes. War is hard. I think we can all agree that we are glad that's all in the past." He agreed simply, and then eyed me hard, "Your mother," He started, "You wouldn't be here if she were still alive..." He said, though there was a hint of hope in his words - that he could be wrong.

"She passed four years ago."

"A shame," He sighed roughly, shaking his head with a frown, "Rumour has it that she joined forces with Lord Orochimaru."

My smile was solemn, and I nodded my head, "It's true. She did."

He canted his head to the side, "How old are you, Kimimaro?" Lord Kegawa asked.

"Twelve, sir."

"Hmm," He scrubbed his hand over his bearded chin. I could see him trying to piece together the events and timelines between my mother leaving Konoha and me, her son who was now fighting for Suna, arriving on his doorstep, "How much do you know? What do you remember?"

I pondered that thought. What did I know? In the grand scheme of things, I knew very little about her. Which was why I was there.

"Only what my mother told me. That after my father died, she left Lord Orochimaru and we settled in Suna. I don't know why she left, or why she didn't return to Konoha. I honestly don't think I knew her at all."

"Maybe no one did. You know, I thought I knew her well too," He sighed, "Your mother, she was very head-strong. She was always fighting the establishment, saying yes when others were saying no."

"Is that why she left? Had something happened?"

"I don't think there is one specific incident that forced her to leave, it was likely an accumulation of many things." He went silent for a moment, like he was trying to remember all those years ago, "I had always suspected that she had been recruited by someone, someone that lured her away with grand thoughts of diversity and transformation. A better future for all. Those things, they appealed to her immensely." He snorted and shook his head from side to side, "There were signs. I didn't see it then but looking back now, I was ignorant. She didn't just disappear, we all just wanted to believe that she did."

The things you learned about someone. It was a lot for me to register. That she left her friends, her family, her squad, for Lord Orochimaru. What had he beguiled her with? He was a snake. In more ways than one. And I had no doubts that whatever it was about him that appealed to her well it had all been one big lie. I know she escaped because she was frightened of him, she didn't trust him. Maybe at one point she did, but not in the end.

"Does she… I mean, do I have any remaining family in Konoha?" I asked.

Lord Kegawa shook his head. "Not that I am aware of. Liluna's parents, your grandparents, died when she was just a child."

"Oh," I mumbled. I should have expected that. Long lives did not typically run in my family lineage. I didn't have high expectations for a future because of it. How could I?

"I'm sorry I couldn't be much more help. I do hope you got what you came here for…"

"Actually. There is just one more thing."

He leaned a little closer, "Of course. Anything for Liluna's son."

I small smile tugged at the corner on my mouth and I flipped the photo over, "There is an address here. And I found a key with this photo."

"It is a Konoha address," Sora piped in, "It has to be. But I don't recognize it."

"This was where your mother lived." Lord Kegawa stated, frowning almost immediately. "I'm not surprised you don't recognize it Sora. I'm afraid that neighbourhood no longer exists, not as it did back then."

"It's gone?" My brows pinched together. _No._

"Yes. When the Village was attacked by the Akatsuki, a lot of homes were destroyed. The streets are not the same as they once were."

So that was it. That was as far as I would get. Maybe I should have been more disappointed, but I wasn't. Not really. An empty house didn't talk. I think I had learned all I needed to about my mother. Which admittedly was not a lot, but it was enough. Enough that I felt content with it all.

"I appreciate your time, Lord Kegawa, it has been… insightful."

He nodded his head, "You are quite welcome."

Sora and I gathered ourselves and Lord Kegawa escorted us out of the front door and onto the porch, "I'll see you boys in a couple of days at the chunin exams. Good luck in the next round."

I smiled and gave him a courteous bow of my head, "Thank you, Lord Kegawa."

"Thanks!" Sora chimed in, showing his gratitude for accepting us and our unscheduled visit with a similarly gracious nod before he followed me down the steps and onto the path leading to the street.

"And Kimimaro, before you leave." Lord Kegawa called out to me.

Simultaneously, Sora and I stopped and we both looked back over our shoulders.

"Your mother, she was a good person. She really did want to make the world a better place. Her kindness and her generosity were taken advantage of, and because of that she made some bad decisions. But that doesn't make her a bad person. She did what she thought was best for her, and what was best for you. We are human. We make mistakes. Remember that."

I smiled, "I will. Thank you again."

"Anytime." Lord Kegawa rested his shoulder against the doorframe as he watched us exit through the gate and onto the sidewalk. We gave him high waves before we disappeared from his line of sight.

The sun had already begun to set as Sora and I strolled slowly down the sidewalk, a contemplative silence settled over us as we each took in all the information that Lord Kegawa had provided us. That was until Sora finally broke the quiet.

"Are you okay?" He asked and gently laid his hand on my shoulder for support, "You look... "

"Disappointed?"

"Somber."

I snorted a laugh at his choice of word.

"What?" He grinned, "Are you disappointed?"

"No. I'm…" I stared straight ahead, wistful. The street lights began to flicker and one by one they lit up, lighting the path ahead of us. It almost felt like a perfectly timed metaphor, the way ahead, the future, is was clearer now. For me. "I don't know."

"Maybe you don't have to be anything." Sora stated.

I shifted my gaze sideways to him. I was always amazed at how easily Sora seemed to calm me, to make me feel content with the way things were and how they would be.

"You're right," I said, "And you know, I have some closure. That's all I need."

He smiled and dropped his hand from my shoulder to take my hand in his instead, linking our fingers. He squeezed my palm. "And for the rest, you have me. And your friends. And Hiroka-Sensei."


	21. Round Two Fight!

**XX - Round Two. Fight!**

The second round of the Chunin Exams was just minutes away from beginning and I felt oddly calm. With the jitters of the first round completely gone I was actually looking forward to this fight and taking on the Mist boy one-on-one.

I stood with Akiko on the competitor's platform above the arena, both of us leaning casually against the railing as we watched Shikamaru prepare for the fight with the other governing officials. Of course, he was the referee in these Chunin Exams but there were other important people that he needed to convene with before they could start. Including an assembly with the captains of our squads.

Speaking of which, our squad captain Hiroka seemed to be in a heated discussion with the captain from the Mist.

"What do you think they are arguing about?" Akiko asked.

I shifted my gaze over to where my opponent, Tachi, was waiting just a few yards away from us. "Probably our fight. Hiroka-Sensei was concerned about Tachi's intentions coming in to this round."

It was no secret that since meeting in the Forest of Death that there had been some animosity among the Genin from the Sand and the Mist. Especially after I had forcefully removed Tachi's squad mate from the competition. Though it was fully deserved, it didn't change anything. Tachi still blamed me for the fight in the forest. I hadn't started it but it was my fault somehow. Go figure.

Akiko snickered, "Yeah, that makes sense. He does want to kill you." He shifted so his back was leaning against the railing, he turned his head to me, "You got him though." He concluded. "Right?"

Was he second guessing me? I arched my brow and focused my attention back to the centre of the arena "He's strong. And smart. But he's also angry. He'll likely do something stupid because of it. I can take him."

Akiko grinned and then stretched his arms out in front of him, "Glad one of us is feeling confident." He blew out a breath, "I don't think I have a chance in hell against Uchiha."

I was just about to argue that point and defend Akiko's talents as a shinobi when the man himself showed up. His ears must have been ringing...

"You're right, you don't." Sora proclaimed with a cocky grin as he idled up, squeezing between us and putting one hand on each of our shoulders.

He looked better today. No glasses - not that he looked bad in them - and the bags under his eyes were gone.

"Hey. Don't count him out." I said shrugging away from Sora's touch, "He did beat your squad mate."

"I'm not Kaito."

Akiko mumbled obscenities under his breath. He and Sora had a tense friendship.

"No, But Akiko is a better shinobi than Kaito." I responded. A little playful jab at my friend.

"Ouch," He laughed, "Not wrong though."

Akiko smirked.

"So," Sora started, "You ready for this fight kids?" He asked, glancing over to Tachi and then back again.

Akiko and I answered simultaneously.

"Yes."

"No."

We shared doubtful glances and Sora snorted a laugh. "You Sand siblings kill me."

He was completely back to his old self it seemed.

Suddenly, static came over the large speakers that were mounted all over the arena and then Shikamaru's voice came out loud and clear.

"The second round of the Chunin Exams is about to start." He announced, "There will be two rounds today. The first fight is Kimimaro Kaguya of the Sand versus Tachi Kobayashi of the Mist. Fight two is Akiko Okamoto of the Sand versus Sora Uchiha of the Leaf."

At the mention of Sora, the Leaf Villages last and most promising competitor, the crowd went wild - a chorus of cheers and loud claps flowed like a fast running river around the stadium.

"Ten minutes and we begin!" Shikamaru continued after the crowd settled down again, "Kimimaro, Tachi. Please prepare yourselves and take your places."

The microphone was handed off and immediately the crowd began a dull chatter.

"Well. This is it." I stated.

"It is. Listen to me, Kimimaro." Akiko gave me a stern, brotherly look, "Tachi is an asshole. Don't let him get under your skin and… be careful," He said in support, "You got this, little brother."

I nodded my head with conviction.

Not on to be left out, Sora stopped me from following Tachi off the platform by gently grasping my forearm, "Akiko is right. He is an asshole, and he is not going to go easy on you so don't give him any reason to doubt just how good you are. You. Got. This."

A small smile broke my usual stoicism, "I'm going to be fine. I'll see you on the other side."

From the platform, I entered a covered staircase and walked calmly down the steps before entering out into the arena. Tachi was waiting for me and already scowling in my direction - as he usually did. Shikamaru looked about as bored as normal.

I bowed my head in greeting as I approached, "Lord Shikamaru. Tachi."

Shikamaru smiled and gestured for me to quickly come closer while Tachi continued looking sour, apparently being courteous and responding when spoken to was above him.

"I know there is some… hostility between you two so let me begin by saying this. We are from allied nations. These one-on-one battles are to display the strengths and talents of our villages next generation of shinobi - to those that may one day require our services. We do not fight to kill each other. Do you both understand this?"

"I understand," I affirmed.

Tachi remained silent, still glaring at me, but he managed a slight and absolutely unconvincing nod of his head. He had outright threatened to kill me and that hadn't seemed to change. He hated me, he really hated me. I supposed Shikamaru knew this too hence his little pre-fight speech.

"Need I remind you that I have the power to intervene and end the fight if I deem it necessary, so I expect you to play fair," He asserted, "Now. Are you ready?"

"Yes," I confirmed.

"Ready," Tachi finally spoke.

Shikamaru turned his microphone back on and addressed the crowd, "The fight is about to commence." He looked first at Tachi and then at me, "Good luck Genin."

He retreated to the sidelines leaving Tachi and I alone in the centre of the arena.

I flexed my fingers at my sides, my sight now completely set on my opponent. I had a feeling he would wait for me to make the first move and now, well he certainly looked placid - like he was not about to get into a fight at all. Or maybe he was just measuring me up? Calculating. But he was waiting for something.

Finally, he took a step to his right, and then another. He began to circle me. Slowly.

I immediately took up a defensive pose, though I remained calm and ready, watching.

"You know, I did a lot of research in the past week." Tachi spoke smoothly, almost eerily, "Found out some interesting things about you, Kaguya. Very. Interesting."

Like a shark, he continued to circle, snapping his teeth. I kept my mouth shut, observing his every step he made for any indication that he was about to attack.

"Want to know what I found out?"

"Not really." I offered nonchalantly.

I had no interest in hearing what he had found out about me and wasn't going to wait around to find out. If he wasn't going to start this fight, then I would. It was time to test the waters, so to speak. Tachi was a water style user after all, which was weak against my earth style. I would get to that but first...

Without warning, I began my offensive. I took off at a sprint, ready to confront my opponent up close and personal, to see how his Taijutsu skills stacked up against mine.

A brief flash of shock registered in his eyes as I neared him. He hadn't expected me to strike so quickly, not when he was attempting to engage me in a conversation. His research had already failed him. He knew nothing about me, if he did, then my offensive attack, at close combat range, should not have come as a surprise to him. That was my speciality.

I met Tachi head on and managed to land a firm palm strike against one of his shoulders which sent him stumbling backwards. He regained his footing quickly and blocked the second and third marks by raising his forearms, one and then the other. But that left his lower torso open and vulnerable. My open and perfectly flat palm met his abdomen, and the velocity of my arm combined with the strength of my hit sent Tachi flying backwards a few feet.

A cloud of dust rose around him as he landed in the dirt.

I fell into a traditional kokutsu dachi fighting stance, on the offence and ready to charge once again.

Tachi coughed which curiously turned into a malicious sounding laugh. He pulled himself back up to his feet and glared at me, "I know who you are." He began and then turned his head to the side to spit, "I know _what_ you are." He spat out again, with a big emphasis on the word what.

My brow furrowed hard. He really wanted to talk now? After all that silent treatment he now wanted to have a conversation? During our fight? I was sure he was just trying to get to me, to irritate me and throw me off my game.

Whatever it was, I wasn't going to dignify any of it with a response. I wasn't going to play _his_ game.

Again, I attacked. But this time he was ready for me. He retrieved two large shuriken from his weapons holster and fired them in my direction, one right after the other. I dodged them easily, skidding once left and then right before clashing with him again. This time, he didn't just defend himself from my fast palms and damaging blows, he fought back, and we began to melee.

As I had expected, he wasn't as agile or as strong as I was when it came to Taijutsu. I hit him hard multiple times before he growled out in frustration, unable to retaliate, and sprang back away from me coming to a skidding halt.

"Tell me Kimimaro, haven't you ever wondered why you look identical to your father?"

"No, actually. I haven't." I replied with a sigh. Tired of his words, I wondered how smart his mouth would still be when he was about to be crushed by my jutsu...

I widen my stance, planting my feet firmly on the ground and pressed my palms together to focus my chakra. The hand seals came to me almost as naturally as breathing - Rat, Snake, Tiger. "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wave!"

Tachi swayed as the ground around him rumbled and then a large section of earth breached the surface. Immediately, the wave of rock surged forward towards my opponent. He was quick enough on his feet to avoid the initial attack, darting back and forth to avoid being hit but I kept my hands clamped together, manipulating the terrain around him and following his every move. He would tire in no time.

Finally, the rock formation clipped one of his legs. He tripped and toppled forward but managed roll to the side just as he landed, once again dodging the jutsu and the wall of rock that was bearing down on him. On his back now, I could just make out the hand seals he was forming in defense.

"Water Pillar Thrust!"

Below me came a rush of water, throwing me off balance and knocking me backwards off my feet. I jumped back up, regained my footing instantly, and just in in time to see my rock wave crumble to pieces around him. My jutsu had broken.

But that wasn't all I had in my arsenal and I needed to act while Tachi was still sorting out his composure.

With a quick shift, I picked two kunai out from the weapons holster at my thigh and gripped one in each hand. Tachi growled and matched me with his own weapons. We came together with a loud clang, metal against metal as we engaged in combat once again. But he was still unable to match the speed of my weaponized Taijutsu. I lodged one kunai into his body, right between where his arm and shoulder met, effectively disabling that arm from the fight.

Or at least it should have.

A loud cry echoed around the arena, Tachi was hurt that was clear, and extremely angry, but to my surprise he did not retreat, and he did not back down, instead he lifted that injured arm and grabbed a handful of my shirt just below the collar, tugging me closer until we were just a breath apart.

He bared his teeth, and looked me straight in the eye, "It's amazing what you can learn if you just ask the right people."

"What are you talking about?" I hissed.

"You see, all I wanted to know was how I could beat you in this fight, so I could then kill you. But what I learned, Kimimaro, oh, it was so much more valuable. And I wondered. Do you know?"

I struggled in his grasp, losing hold of the remaining kunai I had in my hand.

"Let me tell you," Tachi gripped tighter, and leaned in closer, "You, Kimimaro. You shouldn't exist. You were a lab experiment. Created in a tube."

"Shut up!" I pushed frantically at his hands in an attempt to get him to release me, "You're wrong! You're lying!"

"You are a fucking clone!" He growled out, teeth snapping in anger, "That's why you look identical to your father!"

 _What?_

The world around me froze, colours dull, and sound muffled, as I tried to process what he was implying. _No. That couldn't be right._ Momentarily stunned by his declaration, I had let my guard down, for just a moment, but it was enough time for him to assault me. Before I could register what was happening I was falling backwards, and a sharp pain shot across my jawline. I hit the dirt with a hard thump.

His heavy footsteps approached, slowly but steadily, and the glint of the sun hitting something metal flashed in his hand.

I launched up, back to my feet, my hands immediately coming up in defense. But he didn't attack again, no, it seemed he had so much he wanted to say. And admittedly, part of me wanted to know where he was going with all of this. _A clone? Come on. Where had he gotten that kind of information..._

"You bleed like a normal person, but you are anything but normal." He sneered.

"There is nothing wrong with me, Tachi. But you, now you seem to have some serious emotional issues." I lifted my arm and with the back of my hand, I wiped a small trickle of blood away from the corner of my mouth. In doing so I found another cut, high on my cheekbone, the tip of a kunai had cut through my skin.

He cackled maliciously, "Your poor mother."

"Shut up!"

"She was used. Nothing more than an oven to spawn… you." He said in disgust.

"Shut up! Don't you dare talk about my mother!" I gritted my teeth.

"And here you are." He continued, "A monster, just like your Father. Though at least your Father could use that horrid Kekkei Genkai of yours without dying."

And then it hit me.

Rage. Uncontrollable, unfathomable. My anger spreading like a wildfire within every aspect of my being, inside and out.

I could feel the cursed seal at the base of my throat begin to thrum with warm energy and enhanced levels of chakra immediately began to radiate outwards from the marking; snake like tendrils infiltrated my inner network at an alarming pace and were taking over. There was nothing I could do to stop it, I didn't want to stop it. It was time to let it all out.

I cried out and clenched my fists, my teeth pressing down against each other so hard that I felt they might break. I was losing control and my usually dormant Shikotsumyaku was responding eagerly to my breakdown, awakening the Kaguya Clan's Kekkei Genkai with a burning fury, my curse seal fueling the revival.

Hot lines of flickering fire licked at my face, revealing my curse and leaving dark markings in their wake. The transformation was well underway.

Tachii sucked in a harsh breath and his eyes widened in horror. To put it mildly, he looked terrified. Though strangely enough, also proud of himself, for being the one to get me there.

Was I the monster that he had described me to be?


	22. A Monster Awakens

**XXI - A Monster Awakens**

Unlike with my Father, the Kaguya Clan's Kekkei Genkai - The Shikotsumyaku - was outright dangerous for me to use, bordering on deadly. It was more damaging than helpful and whenever it reared its ugly head, I feared it would be for the last time.

I cried out in pain as my bones dislocated, shifting and repositioning in preparation for battle, my loud howls echoed around the stadium, scattering birds from their roosts in the rafters and the trees and silencing the previously rambunctious crowd.

"Look at you Kaguya," Tachi sneered, "I was right."

"No." My body shook, and my mind no longer felt like it was connected to my physical self. I doubled-over, my tightly balled fists the only thing keeping me from toppling completely forward onto my face. "You are wrong." I closed my eyes, trying desperately to fight through the pain.

"Ohhh No. I am right. You are a monster, just like your Father. And now I am going to put you down!"

I didn't need to look up to know what Tachi was planning, I could hear the shuffle of his feet, and feel the slight breeze that came with the movement of his body as he pounced on me. I knew he was scum but kicking a man when he was already down? That was low. Real low.

"I am not my Father!" I was back on my feet faster than his vision or his brain could process the change in position, and I immediately blocked his attack.

"I AM NOT MY FATHER!" I abruptly lifted my head and glared at my opponent. Tachi's face registered shock as the kunai he had thrust towards me was stopped just millimeters away from my face, and guaranteed bloodshed.

"You don't know me at all!" I said, low and gravelly. My voice unfamiliar even to me.

"Die freak!" He shouted and with his free hand, drove another kunai towards my abdomen.

Seconds later, a blood curdling scream filled the air. Tachi's. A mass of razor-sharp bone spikes had protruded from my body and impaled his arm, effectively binding him to me. He was unable to escape.

"Do you feel that?" I leaned in closer, a grin curling the edges of my mouth despite the intense pain where my bones had pierced through my skin. "You were wrong. The Shikotsumyaku is alive in me," I could feel blood now, running down my torso in warm wet rivulets that drenched my clothing and then pooled at my feet, "Let me show you." I whispered in his ear.

My bones finally retracted and Tachi fell to the ground. He grasped his injured arm and scrambled backwards, only returning to his feet when he was a safe distance away. He was mad, oh was he mad, and now, at last, he looked prepared for a fight. A real fight. The talking was over.

"Monster!' He growled and fell into an offensive pose, more weapons in his hands and at the ready.

Was I a monster? I knew that by now my usually vibrant green eyes were probably dull and dark thanks to the curse seal that I had been blighted with, and that my silvery white hair would have darkened too. This suggested to everyone, not just to Tachi, that yes, I was a monster indeed. Maybe he was right.

But I was not weak.

He began his onslaught, darting towards me at breakneck speed. One kunai left his hand and then the other. Paper bombs. They exploded as they met the ground below my feet, but I avoided them by shooting deftly off the ground and into the air. He maintained his barrage, still charging, and creating a series of hand seals as he closed in. A large pressurized bullet of water came flying at me...

"Dance of the Clematis: Flower!" I concentrated all my Shikotsumyaku power into a single bone weapon that enveloped my entire arm. I lifted the mutated appendage and blocked the powerful jutsu from causing vital damage to my torso.

Through the broken water, Tachi lunged at me with a kunai, but I was faster than he was, and stronger than he was, and with my curse seal activated my senses sharpened. With a hard sweep of my modified bone arm, I knocked him aside. A strangled groan sounded, and a large splatter of blood spewed upwards as Tachi flew backwards from the impact, soaring through the air.

I landed smoothly back on my feet and was surprised when Tachi did the same.

"It's over, Tachi." I stated, but I didn't let my guard down, not yet. His face said it all, that he was not ready to give up.

"No!" He growled out.

I canted my head slightly to the side.

One of his arms was completely out of commission, from the multitude of bone stab wounds, and it was hanging low and limp at his side. And the kunai wound from earlier was finally taking its toll on his other arm. He remained upright, but he did wobble. More blood dripped from the crown of his head.

"Congratulations, Kaguya," The injuries he had sustained did not seem to stop his smart mouth, however, "Everyone has now seen what you really are. Monster! Your mother should have left you to die with that snake!"

I gritted my teeth in anger. It was time to end this.

I immediately lifted my arms and with my fingers parted, I aimed the tips directly at Tachi's kneecaps, intending to bring him down for good, "Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!" In rapid succession, I fired all ten bone bullets at him. They hit their mark seconds later, shattering his kneecaps, he crumpled to the ground with a loud scream.

And then there was silence. I remained still, staring, waiting for Tachi's comeback, but it seemed his injuries had finally gotten the better of him. He was out. Unmoving. Unconscious. The fight was over.

My breaths came hard and fast and my arms shook as I let them fall back to my sides. More self-inflicted injuries, more blood leaking from my fingertips where the bones had broken the skin. I had lost a lot of blood and was still losing a lot of blood.

I swayed, the world was becoming hazy and the sound of voices all around me were muffled like I had cotton balls stuffed in my ears. I blinked once and then collapsed in place, the metallic scent of blood over-taking all my senses as I landed, hitting the ground hard.

"MEDICS!'

 _Shikamaru? Where had he come from?_ His face entered my line of sight and then there was a rush of footsteps all around me, urgent distant voices called my name. _"Can you hear me?"_ His lips were moving but I could only just make out the words.

I nodded my head slowly up and down.

There was some gentle jostling and then I was being turned carefully onto my back.

I gasped and then immediately cried out in pain.

The adrenaline from my curse seal, that had kept me numb during the fight, was subsiding and my strength was fading right along with it. I blinked through blurry vision, tears welling up in my eyes as my entire body seized up with agony. The Shikotsumyaku had performed but at what price? Every bone in my body felt like it had been snapped in two and every movement felt like a stab from a knife. I clenched my fists, my fingers dragging through the dirt as I attempted to bear the distress.

Hiroka-Sensei's face appeared above me and over his shoulder Akiko and Sora were right behind him. All three of them looked down at me with absolute horror.

"Shit!" Akiko quaked, and pushed his hands back through his hair, "Shit!"

Sora leaned closer. His brow was pinched tightly together, and his face was ghostly white.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I broke our promise..." I muttered, then immediately regretted talking. I winced and took a harsh breath. A shot of pain racked my body, like an electric current running along the entire length of my spine.

"You're okay," Hiroka reassured, gently sweeping my sweat stained hair away from my forehead, "You're going to be okay."

I took another shuddering breath and allowed my eyes to slip closed, I instantly plunged into a comfortable darkness.

The last thing I remembered was Hiroka-Sensei's panicked and muted words before my souls hold on my body finally relaxed and set me free. That same numbness, that kept me going during the fight, returned. I welcomed the peace, drifting away into unconsciousness.


	23. Beyond Physical

**XXII - Beyond Physical**

My clan's Kekkei Genkai - The Shikotsumyaku - was the ultimate paradox. It was strong in the midst of a battle, but it left my body weak. And just when I thought that its power had finally gotten the best of me - nearly killing me during the fight with Tachi - it showed its practical strength and capabilities once again.

I had been in and out of consciousness for, what I was told, two days. When I woke on the third, I felt almost back to my normal self, like I hadn't nearly died just a few days earlier.

I lifted my hands up to face, turning them front to back, and was amazed at how advanced my healing properties were; yellow-blue bruises still blemished my skin, but the cuts had already sealed and scarred over with new tissue. I flexed my fingers experimentally - something still felt wrong, they were stiff, like my joints had not settled back into place from releasing the bone bullets during the fight, but the pain had lessened considerably.

This discovery prompted a little more pain level experimentation. With a careful shift, I began to sit up in the bed. I sucked in a breath, waiting for that usual sharp pang of pain to assault my abdomen and lower back but thankfully it too had dulled to a subdued, though consistent, ache.

At least I could move now, without any incapacitating agony.

It was good news, yes, it meant I could probably leave the hospital, but the revelation of this relief only lasted a fleeting moment as it provoked other issues to come to light. Now that I was awake, and I could focus my mental energy on something other than pain management, I had this overwhelming feeling of despair come over me, like a blanket being pulled over my head, and I couldn't get out from under that layer of anxiety.

Tachi's verbal abuse, from during our fight, started to replay through my head. Repeatedly. _"You shouldn't exist. You were a lab experiment. Created in a tube. You are a clone!"_ Every single time those momentous allegations assailed me, they wounded me deeper. Of course, I desperately tried to deny their validity, telling myself that he had just been trying to get under my skin, but the more I thought about it, the more the claims started to sound less like lies and more like facts. And the proof… it stared back at me every day when I looked in the mirror! That was a reality, it wasn't fiction. I was a younger version of my Father - to a tee.

Was my life just one big lie?

I let out a strangled whimper as I threw myself dramatically back against the bed and immediately dragged one of the fluffy pillows over my face. I wanted to hide away from the world. I felt so lost, so confused - who was I really? I, for one, had no clue anymore, and I didn't think there was a single soul alive that knew the real truth. Next, I tried convincing myself that I didn't care, that I knew who I was, but it didn't make a difference - no matter how many times I repeated that mantra over and over, that sinking feeling of dread always crept back into my soul.

I just wanted it all to go away, for life to go back to the way it was prior to the fight. But life was rarely fair, especially not to me. Just when things seemed to be going well, higher forces slapped me right back down to earth.

Who was I? What was I?

I wasn't sure how long I had been lying still and silent, wallowing in my own misery, when my contemplative quiet time was interrupted by a soft, cautious voice. "Are you awake?"

It was too late for visitors at the Hospital and too early for Lady Sakura to come by for her regular morning check in so, at first, I thought it was just another nurse doing their rounds but why would they be checking if I was asleep? And the voice, it was familiar to me, even at a whisper and with the sound muffled from the pillow. I knew who it was. _Sora Uchiha_.

"No," I replied, remaining hidden in the dark behind my cushioned mask. And it wasn't necessarily untrue... I felt like I was in a dream. A bad dream. One I _really_ wanted to wake up from.

His footsteps were noiseless on the linoleum floors and moments later the pillow was unexpectedly, though carefully, lifted away. Sora leaned down to peek into my dark face fortress, "Are you okay, KK?"

It took a good few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the dim light of the room but when they did, my friend came into focus. He was fully dressed, like he was ready to start his day even though the sun had not risen yet, and he was wearing those wire rimmed glasses again.

"Are you?" I retorted, "It's still dark out, you should be sleeping."

"Touché." There was a slight dip in the bed as he sat down on the edge, "I couldn't sleep." He took the pillow off my face and tucked it behind my head instead, so he could see me fully in the low light.

"Headaches again?" I sympathized.

"Yeah," He groaned, "Move over a little," He gently commanded and then proceeded to lay down on the bed beside me, hijacking a part of my pillow too. I didn't have a chance to protest this but did grumble a little as I shuffled over to give us both some space.

"You're healing fast," He observed, pressing his fingertips gently below the long gash on my cheekbone.

"It's the Shikotsumyaku."

"So, it's not all bad then, huh?" He commented.

"No. Just mostly bad."

He laughed softly, "Look at you. Making jokes already. I'm glad you're feeling better. The other day was pretty…" He paused, like he was trying to find the right word, or words, to describe the fight and seeing my Kekkei Genkai for the first time.

"Repulsive? Monster-ish?" I sighed.

"No," He shook his head, I could feel the slight movement against the pillow, "I told you, remember? I thought it was pretty awesome… until Hiroka-Sensei and Akiko started screaming at you from the platform that is. Yumi was hysterical, even on the other side of the stadium I could hear her. I knew something was wrong then." He confided, and then twirled a thick lock of my silver hair around one of his fingers.

I didn't remember having that conversation with him and I didn't respond, instead I continued to stare up at the ceiling, and into nothing, wondering how Akiko, Yumi and Hiroka had felt that day. I wish I had heard them calling out to me for help, but I was too stuck in my own head during the fight. It was highly likely that no amount of screaming would have registered with me at that point anyway. I was too far gone.

"So… About the meeting tomorrow…" He started, tentatively.

"They wish to disqualify me from the exams." I said, matter of factly, "Hiroka-Sensei already filled me in."

"Not everyone. It's just the team from the Mist. And their Mizukage." He hissed, "They think you are a danger to… everyone. Including yourself. That you have no control over your Kekkei Genkai and that next time, you might kill someone."

"Our fight is next… So, they mean you, they think I will kill you."

"Well. Yes. I guess. But they also think you could kill yourself." He clarified, like that made a difference.

I scoffed. "Like they care," I was sure not one of the Shinobi from the Mist was too concerned about my well-being.

"At least that's what they are saying anyway. I call bullshit too. They are just using us as pawns, scare tactics you know? Hoping our Kage's will agree and end it all here."

"You would win." I pointed out, "You deserve to win."

"I don't want to win like that." He gave the lock of hair he was playing with a gentle tug.

My head fell slightly to the side to face him, "Do you think I am dangerous, Sora?"

"No," He replied instantly, "I know you would never hurt me... Like that. And it's our fight so we should get to decide what happens, right? Not any one of the Kages, and especially not the Mist, they shouldn't get to choose our fate. Really? They are just sour with how badly their team did this year. In everything."

"Or maybe they are right," I added, and rolled my head away from him, "Maybe I am unstable. A hazard to myself and to everyone else."

"No. They are not right. I know you, Kimimaro and you are not dangerous," He said, almost in a scolding tone, "You were just defending yourself…"

I sighed.

His voice softened the next time he spoke, "You haven't told anyone about what happened in the arena that day."

I shifted my gaze even further away from him. I expected the questioning eventually, from someone, not necessarily from Sora but from someone - Yumi was my number one guess, I was actually kind of surprised she hadn't chewed me out already. But I was thankful she hadn't, I wasn't ready to answer any questions. I wasn't ready to talk about it because I was still trying to make sense of it all and wrap my head around it.

"The risks you took using the Shikotsumyaku… you knew it could cost you your life."

I swallowed hard.

"But you did it anyway."

"Yeah. I did."

Suddenly, Sora's face appeared above me. His brow was pulled tightly together as he looked down at me, "What did Tachi say to you, Kimimaro?"

"It doesn't matter." I closed my eyes tight as tears began to well up in them, "It's done. It's over."

"Tell me. Please." He swept the palm of his hand gently over the top of my head, brushing my mussed bed hair away from my face. "I won't tell anyone anything, if you don't want me to. You can trust me."

Immediately, that feeling of dread and anxiety returned. If Tachi's accusations were true… My life, my very existence could have just been a diabolical experiment - I was a clone, alive only to fulfill a twisted person's selfish need to extend their own life. And I felt ashamed of that, of what I was.

"My whole life is just one big lie." I finally mumbled.

"A lie?" He asked, a hint of confusion laced his words. "What do you mean?"

I exhaled a soft sigh, "I shouldn't even exist. I was just a lab experiment, created in a tube." I paused, biting down into my lower lip as I gathered my emotions. The words hurt to speak but I thought maybe, just maybe, getting them out would help… in some way. "A bad experiment at that. I didn't even come out…. Right." I grumbled in anger.

"What? Who told you that?" He asked, his voice raising a little, "Was it Tachi? Is that what he said to you?" He all but growled out the Mist boys name.

I nodded my head and looked him square in the eye, "Look at me, Sora. I am a clone of my father! I was created, not made out of love. All I was ever supposed to be was a vessel for someone else's life. Nothing more, I know that. That's a fact." Panic began to set in, now that I had thrown it all out into the open. My breaths came hard and fast, and slow tears managed to escape me, cascading down my cheeks and leaving glistening tracks in their wake. "I wasn't ever supposed to have my own life."

"No. Christ, KK. No."

"He called me a freak. A monster..." I gritted my teeth. Those slurs enraging me further.

"You are not a monster." Sora reassured.

"But what if he is right?" I sniffled, burning up, "What If I am a monster? You saw it. Everyone saw it."

Sora searched my eyes for what seemed like an endless minute, seemingly trying to find the right words to say to console me, "Listen to me now," He lifted his arm and gently framed my cheek with his hand, "No matter where you came from or how you got here, you belong to this world as much as any of the rest of us do. So, what if you look like your father, you are not him, not inside where it counts." He smiled and with the pad of his thumb, he swept away the last of my falling tears. "Don't let him turn you into something that you are not."

"He insulted my mother, Sora." I turned my head away then, embarrassment creeping in. I was letting my emotions get the better of me, I never let myself lose control like that.

"You are a better person than I am, Kimimaro," He said, petting my cheek with a gentle, affectionate caress.

"No," I shook my head from side to side.

"Yes, you are. If he… If he ever said anything bad about my mother, I would have killed him. I think that proves you are not a monster right there."

My brow furrowed, and I sniffled again. I was never going to kill Tachi, I was mad, so mad, and was more than capable of ending his life, but it never once crossed my mind. I had killed people before, and I would never do it again, not if I could avoid it.

"You wouldn't have killed him either." I mumbled.

I felt the soft press of Sora's fingertips against my chin, and he tilted my head up so I had no choice but to look at him, "How can you be so sure?"

When my gaze met his, I sucked in a harsh breath. I blinked once. And then a second time trying to clear my vision and refocus. Sora's usually dark brown eyes had turned red and his pupils had physically transformed. _The Sharingan._ This had to be my imagination...

"Hey," I muttered with a cautioning tone as he leaned down towards me, "What are you doing?" All sorts of alarms and warning bells were going off inside my head. I lifted my arm and pressed my hand against the centre of his chest trying to still his progress, but he loomed further over me.

"I wish you could see what I see," He murmured before hastily removing his glasses and setting them aside. This didn't stop his downward descent, however, and he tilted his head as he neared, "What he did to you, what he said to you… You didn't deserve that. You are so much better than that. I wish you could understand."

Despite his kind words, my body was still telling me this was wrong. I didn't like to be this close to anyone, I didn't like people in my personal space, and though I was getting better about the idea of someone touching or hugging me, this still did not feel right... Not even with my best friend. And he was getting closer still. My fingers buckled against his chest, gripping the material of his shirt, and I pushed against him, but it was a vain attempt.

"I would never do anything to hurt you like that." He professed, and I could feel his warm breath as soft puffs against my skin now.

The collision was imminent.

I was only a second away from berating him and lashing out violently, as was in my nature when I felt uncomfortable, when suddenly he stopped - just bare millimetres away. He grinned, in one of those typical Sora ways that made it impossible to scorn him, and then he dropped his face down into the crook of my neck. His upper body relaxed completely against my side just a moment later.

"Sora," I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until I finally exhaled a deep sigh. My chest rose heavily as he shifted and settled, and then, without any hesitation whatsoever, he slid his arm around my waist until he was hugging me, almost protectively.

"Kimimaro?" He mumbled.

I swallowed hard, "Yes?"

"I think you should tell everyone what Tachi said to you. At the meeting tomorrow."

"No. I-I can't." I admitted, and my stomach immediately began to flutter with anxiousness, just at the thought. Telling Sora was one thing but exposing the verbal abuse and negligent accusations to a bigger group of people, well that was downright terrifying. What would they think of me? On top of all the awful things they probably already thought about me?

"They need to know." Sora rebutted.

"No. They don't. This meeting is not about what he said to me, it's about how I reacted." I argued. And that, that was the very reason I usually remained so reserved, so quiet and calm. I could not control this curse that was given to me. I had always tried so hard to hide it from the world. And in a moment of weakness I showed it to the whole damn world.

There was a brief silence, before Sora spoke again.

"You haven't changed." He whispered, just by my ear, "You are still the same person you were before that battle, before whatever Tachi claimed you were, and before everyone saw your Kekkei Genkai," He squeezed my waist, hugging me tighter, "I will fight for you."

I closed my eyes, biting back tears that were threatening to fall. He was right, I knew he was right, but I couldn't shake that uneasy feeling, like I didn't know who I was anymore. How could I defend myself and my actions if I was unsure of myself and who I really was? I couldn't unhear those words Tachi said to me, I couldn't pretend it was all just a sick tactic to try and get under my skin. There was some truth behind his words, I knew it deep down in my stomach.

"I..."

"Shh. Don't say anything. I've got you." Sora interrupted.

I was almost glad he cut me off, I didn't really know what to say and was worried I would have a full-out mental breakdown if I dared to speak. So instead, I reached out to my friend and held on tight, my fingers curled against his back and I rested my temple gently against the top of his head.

Human contact had never been a priority for me, or something that I desired, but in that moment, I craved it. I wanted nothing more than to feel some comfort in this world.


	24. Waking Up Is The Hardest Thing To Do

**XXIII - Waking Up Is The Hardest Thing To Do**

"Well isn't this cute," Yumi declared with a playful taunt, snickering as she entered the Hospital room.

Half awake, half-asleep, I was too exhausted to deal with her shameless mockery, choosing to ignore her instead.

I yawned, and stretched out my arms, careful not to move too much and jostle a still sleeping Sora awake. I was glad he had finally been able to get some solid shut eye, he needed the rest. Of course, I hadn't been so lucky. I was tired too, but my stomach was in knots. The nerves that came with the meeting that morning had prevented me from falling into dreamland, even though I felt perfectly safe and comfortable with my best friend at my side. I just couldn't shake that uneasy feeling.

"Are you two ever apart now?" She teased further.

"Shut up," I replied, glaring at her.

Sora murmured in his sleep and warm air tickled my neck, but thankfully he remained asleep.

Yumi snorted and rounded the foot of the bed before jumping up to lay at my side, opposite him. "You still look like shit, Little Brother." She commented and had the audacity to smack a few kisses against my cheek, "If you lose any more weight I'm afraid you might disappear."

I shrugged away from her affections, my nose scrunching in displeasure as she continued to fuss over me. "Cut it out!" She only grinned while her fingers combed through my hair.

"Are you still in any pain?" She asked.

"It's manageable."

"Good," She snuggled up to me, wrapping her arms around one of my own, and laid her head on my shoulder so I couldn't get away. Not that I was trying to or could have escaped. I was trapped beneath blankets and wedged between two clingy people.

From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of two more figures appearing in the doorway. It was Hiroka-Sensei and Akiko. Hiroka looked annoyed, Akiko amused by Yumi's brash tenderness, and even more so mirthful upon spotting Sora asleep and snoring.

"The meeting is in an hour and you two are still lazing about in bed!?" Hiroka reprimanded, "And what is he doing in here? You are supposed to be in recovery."

"Yeah," Akiko agreed, and with a cocky stride he idled over to the side of the bed where Sora was sleeping. He leaned over our friend and bellowed, "SORA!"

There was a sudden jolt and Sora shrieked in surprise, almost jumping out of his skin before tumbling off the side of the bed and very nearly bringing the nightstand, and it contents, down with him, "Ouch!"

"Akiko!" I chided him immediately.

My squad mate couldn't contain his laughter, he grabbed his midsection and bent over dramatically, slapping his thigh. _Real funny._ That was until Sora retaliated by punching the back of his knee so he too crumpled to the floor.

"Fuuuuuuck! That hurt!" Akiko swore.

"What. The. Hell?!" I heard Sora grumble from the ground. His hands appeared on the edge of the bed and then his head popped up as he pulled himself up to his feet. He immediately returned to the bed and flopped face first down into the pillow.

I noticed that his eyes had returned to normal, that was good.

"Don't get back in bed!" Hiroka scolded him, "Time to get up. Both of you."

Sora turned his head and shot daggers in Hiroka's direction, "Is this a normal wake up for you sand people?" He huffed and rolled over onto his back before blindly reaching out for his glasses. After irritably adjusting them over and over, he finally settled them in a comfortable place on the bridge of his nose.

"Get up!" Hiroka countered.

"Fine, fine. Geez." Sora mumbled then rolled away to plant his feet back on the floor, "I'm up. See."

The corner of Hiroka's mouth twitched with a bemused grin, "Come on," He ushered Sora over to him, and laid his hand on the younger boy's shoulder when he did as he was told, "You too. Akiko, Yumi. We need to get moving. I'll get you all something to eat on the way, after Kimimaro gets dressed."

"Yes, free breakfast!" Without thought, Sora and Akiko high-fived each other. They had an unusual friendship, fighting one moment, buddies the next.

"Are you always this generous, Hiroka-Sensei? Can I join your squad?" Sora joked.

"Fuck no!" Akiko immediately asserted.

"Akiko! Watch your language."

"I don't swear." Sora said proudly, his grin was all charm, "Much."

"Why are you here again, Sora?" Hiroka narrowed his eyes, but sighed in resignation seconds later, like a parent who wasn't in the mood to deal with his unruly children, "One time only." He firmly established so Sora wouldn't get any clever ideas.

"Of course, boss."

Yumi rolled her eyes then gracefully hopped off the bed, "Do you need some help, little brother?" She asked, and proceeded to pull the covers away, reaching for the hem of my oversized hospital shirt.

I immediately gasped and defended myself from her invasive hands. It was an innocent request at heart, but I still scowled at her impudence. The very thought… my cheeks heated with a pink flush. Before she could get another cheeky kiss in, I held my palm up and blocked her.

"Yumi, leave him be. Let's go." Hiroka waved her out the door, "Kimimaro, take all the time you need, okay?"

I nodded, "Okay."

He smiled with a fondness that I could only imagine a Father's to be, "Call me in if you need… any help, I'll be right out here..."

"Actually, I…" I stammered, my cheeks heating once again, "Do you mind… staying, Hiroka-Sensei?"

"Ahh... No, of course not," He returned, visibly surprised by my request and then guided the rest of the gang out of the room, "Wait here." He said sternly before the door was pulled closed with a soft click.

Another smile and he padded across the linoleum floor to where all my clean clothes were hanging, "This is uncharacteristic of you, Kimimaro," Hiroka pointed out. It wasn't judgement that he was offering me, but concern, "You rarely ask for help with… well anything. You must have something on your mind?" He laid my clothes out flat on the bed, "Are you okay?'

The corners of my mouth dropped until I was frowning, and my chin lowered.

"Is it about the meeting?"

I nodded but didn't dare look back up at him. Admitting that I felt anxious and unsure were difficult emotions for me to express. I was always so good at hiding how I felt. Well... up until recently I supposed. And things were snowballing quickly. I needed to get back in control of myself and my life. But, that was easier said than done.

The real issue at hand was that I didn't think I could be honest with my sensei, not about why I felt the way I did, and about what had happened during my fight with Tachi.

"You should know that both Lord Gaara and I have spoken to the Hokage and Mizukage already." He confessed.

"Oh." I lifted my arms out of the oversized Hospital shirt and Hiroka immediately presented my own freshly pressed one to replace it with. I quickly pulled it over my head and zipped it up to the collar, "Did it help any?"

"Honestly," He began, "I'm not sure. I think they need to hear from you directly, Kimimaro."

"I'm not sure how well I can defend myself. I did what I did. Everyone saw it."

"For a start, you can tell the truth. Explain what happened during the fight." He advised, then handed me my pants, "I know something triggered you and I can't offer you any more advice unless you tell me what that was." He gave me a hard look and then stepped away, so I could pull my pants on.

I didn't reply, instead, I shifted my gaze away and focused on the last remaining piece of my ensemble. I wrapped the rope belt around my waist and when I twisted to tie it at my back, I winced with pain. The bruises on my abdomen and lower back were still tender.

"Here, let me," Hiroka gently spun me and began tying me up.

"Hiroka-Sensei?"

"Yes, Kimimaro?"

"What if…" I swallowed hard, "What if the truth hurts more than… anything, even more than being disqualified from the exams?" I confided, stuttering my way through the sentence, "I'm not afraid of losing but I am terrified of what the world will think of me if they find out the truth." I admitted, and immediately bit down into my lower lip.

A pair of strong hands landed on my shoulders and Hiroka turned me back around to face him. He bent down just enough so that we were at eye level, "Kimimaro, you worry too much about what others think of you."

"It's not the Shikotsumyaku." I shook my head.

"Then what is it?" Hiroka asked, "Tell me. I want to help you through this, but I can't fight for you if I don't know what I am fighting for."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I couldn't say it.

Hiroka exhaled a soft sigh and then abruptly pulled me into his arms, hugging me tight. "I won't ever push you into doing anything or saying anything that you don't want to, okay? I know that when you are ready, you will tell me. Just…" He paused, the palm of his hand rubbed small, soothing circles on my back, between my shoulder blades, "Don't let whatever _this_ is ruin your chance to show everyone just how great of a shinobi, and of a person that I know you are."

He meant every word, I really believed that, and I wished that I could see those same things in myself. But that feeling of shame, from knowing what I really was, remained regardless of his sincerity. I wondered… if he knew the truth about me, what would he think of me then? Like Sora, I was almost certain it wouldn't change anything but I also didn't want pity from my sensei or from anyone else. And I didn't want anything to be different, not when I had just started to feel acceptance among my peers.

Sensing my unease, Hiroka drew away from the hug, ending it just as quickly as it had started. He was always so in tune with how I felt. He squeezed my shoulders and gave me a firm nod before straightening back out to his full height.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked while adjusting my shirt sleeves and making sure I was presentable for the meeting to come.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

He placed his hand gently at the back of my head, lightly directing me as walked towards the door. "What do you want to eat? Your choice."

"Umm."

"Right," He chuckled, "I don't even know why I asked."


	25. What's The Plan?

**XXIV - What's The Plan?**

Breakfast went by in a blur.

I barely touched my food, to the extreme dismay of Yumi who said I was getting smaller and thinner every time she looked at me, and I only picked at the Dorayaki that Hiroka had ordered for me to get her off my back. Well it was partly that but mostly because Hiroka had insisted that I needed to eat to gain some of my strength back. So, I indulged him just a little, taking obvious bites of the red bean filled pancakes to placate him. After that, I ignored the valiant attempts by my peers to feed me anything more. I pushed aside miso soup, which usually would have appealed to me, and even passed up the dango that Akiko and Sora were quickly devouring.

I just couldn't stomach any food, my nerves were too shot to eat, so instead, I opted to fill myself with soothing green tea with the hope that the hot liquid would calm the fluttering in my belly. It hadn't really done much for my anxiety, but it did clear my head a little and allowed me to keep my usual cool, calm and collected exterior firmly in place regardless of how bothersome my interior felt.

We left the tea house with our bellies full and our outlook a tad less weary and then headed directly towards the Konohagakure Administrative Building, at the foot of the Hokage Mountain.

I was doing a pretty good job at maintaining my strong, usually expressionless front. Yumi had stopped fussing over me and Akiko had repressed his watchful glances - returning his attention back to his friendly warfare with Sora - and Hiroka had even allowed me to fall back to the rear of our squad without worry, like all was commonplace. All so completely normal. We were not about to meet with three key leaders of our great nation, it was just another regular day and we were just another shinobi squad walking together through the clean streets of Konoha.

As we approached the building, I could see the other members of Sora's squad waiting for us at the entrance. His sensei, Gin, had a scowl plastered across his face - which again, was normal - and the other two boys, Kaito and Touma, looked equally unimpressed with the reappearance of their previously absentee squad mate. That was until they spotted their respective Sand buddies and stepped forward to greet them with delight, Sora forgotten.

"Hiroka." Gin addressed our sensei cordially along with a slight bow of his head, "You gained another student, I see." He observed, obviously referring to Sora.

"Reluctantly." Hiroka replied.

"You can keep him if you want," Gin commented, without even a hint of a smile. It was just a joke, but it was so tense that on second I thought it might not have been one at all...

Hiroka snorted a laugh, "Ohh no, you can have him back. I have enough trouble with these three."

"No doubt," Gin agreed and shifted his steely blue gaze over to me.

I immediately felt exposed under his hard stare, and I couldn't help the shudder that tickled my spine.

Gin had a reputation amongst the jounin of all the villages. Hiroka had described him as merciless, an extremely talented and intelligent shinobi who carried out his duties meticulously, and with an expert efficiency. But most and more importantly, he was loyal to a fault. Gin would do anything in his power to protect his village and the people he cared about regardless of the cost. It was no wonder why the academy had chosen the black-haired, blue-eyed jounin as Sora's sensei. That relationship made perfect sense to me - especially considering the history of the Uchiha Clan and their troublesome boys.

"You look well, Kimimaro." He finally spoke, breaking the awkward silence, and, to my astonishment, he grinned. "And healing exceptionally fast." One of his brows arched with curiosity.

Heat flooded my cheeks. Yep. There was something about the way he looked at me that made me feel completely self-conscious, like he was trying to see past my surface and peer right inside of me.

Hiroka did me a favor by interjecting, "Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai has some impressive qualities." He slung his arm over my shoulders and tugged me against his side for support.

"Mmm," Gin responded, "Impressive indeed."

Somehow, I knew he was not just referring to my advanced healing abilities… actually his blunt focus suggested a whole lot more than that. Getting to that meeting, and quickly, almost didn't feel so daunting now...

"We should get moving. Don't want to keep the Kage's waiting," Gin suggested, "Sora, get over here."

The unusually quiet Sora had enough healthy respect for his sensei to not back-talk and do exactly what he was told, giving me a sideways glance as he passed to stand beside Gin.

Hiroka ushered me forward after them.

"So, what do we do?" Yumi piped in before we entered the building, "Can we not come too?"

"No," Hiroka replied, "It's best we limit the attendance to only those involved in the… incident."

"Sora wasn't involved." Yumi declared with a pout.

"Whatever happens, it impacts Sora too." Hiroka reminded her.

She huffed, "Fine." It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear, but it was the right one and she accepted it reluctantly. And probably because she suddenly realized that she would get to spend some adult free time with her crush, Touma, who looked equally as keen on that idea. Kaito and Akiko, well, they had already moved on to planning their days activities before being told they could not attend the meeting.

I was completely jealous. I wish I felt that carefree.

"Let's go," Gin ordered.

Instantly, my stomach began its flip-flopping routine again. I glanced wistfully back at my friends before I entered the building. Gin and Sora first with Hiroka and I in tow.

We walked a few yards before Sora abandoned his position next to his sensei and fell back to walk with me. Naturally, Hiroka fell into stride with Gin up front and they began to chat.

"Hey," Sora whispered, shifting his gaze over to the adults to ensure we were well out of ear-shot before he continued, "So, have you thought about what you are going to say in there?" He asked, motioning with a jerk of his head in the direction of the Hokage's office.

"Yes." I replied simply. My mind had been made up days ago, as soon as I had found out about the meeting I knew what I was going to do, what I was going to say.

He gave me a hard look, "Why do I feel like you are not going to tell the whole truth?"

"Because you are right." I stated.

"I hate being right all the time," He grumbled and shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

A rare smile touched the corner of my lips, "Oh, don't worry, you're not." I patted his arm.

He cracked, finally grinning in that stereotypically Sora way, "Does anyone else know?"

I shook my head, "No. And I want it to stay that way." I replied, then sped up to follow our sensei's more closely. I knew what was coming next and was hoping I could avoid the second-degree from my best friend by catching up with Hiroka and Gin.

He jogged a few steps to keep up, "They need to know."

I felt his hand fall against my palm. He linked our fingers together, slowing me down and so I couldn't escape from him. I glanced down at our clasped hands and then back up to him again, "I don't need you to agree with me, Sora. I just need you to understand."

"I get it. But fuck." He growled out, "You shouldn't be punished for what that asshole did to you."

"He didn't do…" I sighed and pressed my fingertips to my temples, my head was already starting to hurt, "This meeting is not about what Tachi did or what he said to me," I began to explain, "It's about how I reacted. And I reacted dangerously."

"You are not dangerous,' Sora countered, squeezing my hand gently.

"Then why is Tachi still laid-up in the Hospital and I'm out here?"

"He deserved it!"

I stopped walking then and spun on my heels to face him, "Sora. Please, just… promise me you won't repeat anything I told you."

"They need to know." He repeated.

I placed my free hand on his shoulder, pleading with him, "Promise me, Sora."

"Okay. Fine." He grumbled, "But it's not fair and you know it."

'What's not fair?"

We both abruptly turned our heads. Gin and Hiroka had apparently caught the tail end of our conversation and we're both looking quite curious about our animated exchange.

I gave Sora another pleading glance.

He was the only other person, beside Tachi of course, that knew what had really happened in the arena. And Tachi wouldn't be at this meeting. He was too beaten up to leave the Hospital so his squad mate, Yuuto, would be representing him in his place. So, unless Tachi was stupid enough to spill the dirt on the incident, and incriminate himself to his Mist counterparts, there was no other way his verbal abuse would be disclosed.

I trusted Sora, yet, there was still a small part of me that wished I hadn't said anything at all and kept it all to myself.

"Nothing," He declared, to my relief, "It's nothing."

I mouthed a silent _thank you_ , Sora's returning grin seemed forced and unnatural. I knew he disagreed with me and my plan to stay silent in the meeting, but I didn't realize it bothered him that much. Though, I guess I understood why. If I was in fact disqualified, our fight would not happen, and the Chunin Exams would be officially over. I didn't like that idea any more than he did but keeping my secret was more important to me then a fight.

Without another word, Sora slowly released my hand and then moved away to join his sensei, Hiroka guided me forward after them and we began to cover the remaining distance to the Hokage's Office.

Shikamaru was waiting for us just outside Lord Naruto's Office.

"You're late," He commented.

Gin ignored him and went right on inside the office pusing Sora along in front of him. I thought it was a bit rude to blow off his superior like he had but maybe that was just how Gin was. And Shikamaru didn't seem phased by what I perceived as insubordination, like it was an expected reaction from his jounin.

"Hiroka, Kimimaro." The Hokage's advisor greeted us much more politely, though there was that usual hint of annoyance underlying his words.

"Lord Shikamaru," Hiroka returned, "Is everyone already here?"

"Yes. You are the last. The Kage's have been waiting." He swept his hand out in front of him, "Please. Go in."

A soft hand came down against my shoulder. Hiroka's. It was his way of saying that he was there in support without having to speak the words. "Come on, kid."

One deep breath in, and one deep breath out. I was ready for this.


	26. To My Readers

To my readers;

I am sorry to say that I will be ending this story here.

I have very much enjoyed writing my first fan fiction, however, due to some negative and disheartening comments - that are not constructive at all, I have lost my enthusiasm for writing it. And in all honesty, that saddens me. I am in no way a professional author and I am not trying to be; this was just about having an outlet to create and have some fun with a fandom that I really like. That's it.

I would like to thank all those that have followed along with this story right up until this point, I really have appreciated the constructive, nice and encouraging comments and reviews that I did receive and maybe one day I will try this whole writing thing again.

For now, I wish you all the best. Continue to create what you love!


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